A step down, started with a step up

by Lawrence Williams (United States of America)

Making a local connection Puerto Rico

July, 17, 2019. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I started my day as I would any other: I thanked God, brushed my teeth, got dressed and headed to work. Once I got to my job, everyone seemed so energetic and full of life ; maybe it was because there’d been announcement that the work day would be cut short due to anticipated traffic, or maybe just because Puerto Ricans like to party 24/7. You see, that night, there would be a protest; driven by the people in hopes of persuading their Governor, who had been accused of some very serious allegations. Although I’m from Louisiana, I grew to love the island, after relocating there for work. After learning what the governor had been accused of had been proven factual, I grew Frustrated just as the local were. With that being said, I decided to attend the protest with a few of my friends which I made from the island. However, What happened later that night was something no one could have imagined. What was, at first, supposed to be a friendly protest to get the governor to step down, quickly turned into the complete opposite. After hours of protesting and chanting in the street, tensions escalated, causing amplified irritation by the Policia. After launching firecrackers, policia began throw tear gas in the crowd, which included children, the elderly, and of course many young adults. Something that started as a collaborative effort quickly turned into chaos. After scrambling to get to safety, the attempt to get the governor to step down seems as if all hope was lost. A million people came together to protest but the governor of this great territory had no aspirations of stepping down. Feeling defeated, the crowd’s number slowly began to decrease. Hours past, and as the adrenaline seem to follow and fade, reality kicked in. The protest did not serve its justice. The next day July 18, 2020 the governor did something that would affect Puerto Rico for years to come. After hours of his initial remarks, the governor made a public statement saying that he would no longer hold his position as governor and would commit to stepping down along with relinquishing his duties and responsibilities. Following this highly anticipated announcement, Chants, cheers, tears of joy, and the unique sounds of spoons beating pots and pans, which seemed to be a heroic battle cry of island could be heard Island wide. My phone began to rang, as my amigo Eddie, a local friend I made while on island, called and said “Hermano we did it. No more Ricky, No more Ricky. No more Ricky.” Heart filled with joy, my eyes began to water as I realized I had been apart of something much bigger than myself. After reaching adulthood, I learned that I had black panthers in my family. I thought that was pretty awesome. I always felt the need to stand up for what is right, and at that moment I knew my elders and ancestors would have been proud. Later the night, the PROUD people of this island filled the streets and paraded for hours as this was a joyous time. I Remember saying “God, this is amazing.” I will never forget that day, better yet those days. Puerto Rico strong is a motto I will never take for granted. To some July 17, 2019 will most like be forgotten or identified as a regular day but to me it will forever remain the day I stood for something bigger than me and you. I may not win this scholarship but at least I won that day. I want to say thank you for reading this, because I know you didn’t have to but this is one of the best traveling experiences of my life. The name of this story is “A Step Down, Started with a Step Up” By Lawrence T Williams