Oscar López Rivera “Puerto Rico’s Quest for Liberation: Decolonization, Hurricanes and Solidarity”

Event Date: 

Monday, February 5, 2018 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Event Location: 

  • UCSB Multicultural Center Theater

Event Price: 

Free

Event Contact: 

Professor Diane Fujino, CBSR Director at fujino@asamst.ucsb.edu or Rosa Pinter at rpinter@cbs.ucsb.edu or 805-893-3914

Oscar López Rivera, Puerto Rican movement leader and former political prisoner, will discuss the history of colonialism relations and neoliberal austerity that has given rise to today’s economic and environmental crises in Puerto Rico, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.  He will also address the long history of Puerto Rican anticolonial struggles.

López Rivera, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, artist, and author, exited prison in early 2017, after 35 years of incarceration.  For decades, he has worked tirelessly for freedom and justice in Puerto Rico and the diaspora, and is considered the Nelson Mandela of Puerto Rico.

Click the event flyer for more detailed information.