In this episode, we share the story of a Puerto Rican woman living in New York, Damara Gonzalez, who learned her great-grandma was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. The Nationalist Party advocated for Puerto Rico's independence and in the 1930s turned to armed conflict as a means and response to the US government's violent repression against Puerto Ricans. The story of her great-grandma surprised Damara, knowing quite a few family members have supported statehood for Puerto Rico. She learned about her great grandma's story by sitting in front of her grandma to listen about her family's political involvement and migration process from Puerto Rico to the US. Learning about her family history, becoming aware of her identity struggle as a Puerto Rican in the US, and realizing the current ambiguity of Puerto Rico's current political status convinced her independence is the best option for Puerto Rico, helping to affirm her sense of puertorriqueñidad in the diaspora.

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