Comunidades Sin Cadenas: The Struggle for Puerto Rican Political Independence and Civil Rights

Presented in conjunction with Oscar López Rivera’s visit to UC Davis on February 20, 2020, the exhibit is designed to provide context for Puerto Rico’s political struggles. The exhibit also acknowledges the growing presence of the UC Davis Puerto Rican community and its efforts to educate others about Puerto Rico’s 300 years of colonial history, lack of aid following recent natural disasters, and the future of anti-colonial activism for Puerto Rico and beyond.

About Oscar López Rivera

On May 17, 2017, Oscar López Rivera was pardoned from his 36-year prison sentence by President Barack Obama. Since his release, López Rivera has returned to Puerto Rico and resumed his role as a prominent community organizer, advocating for the end to U.S. colonial rule over Puerto Rico. In 2017, López Rivera created Fundación OLR-Libertá, a nonprofit whose mission is to create and raise awareness of community projects in marginalized communities that are most affected by natural disasters, including Hurricane María and most recently a wave of earthquakes. López Rivera and his team are working to provide alternative spaces for Puerto Rico’s communities, while teaching community members the value of self-sustainability.