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Forimmediaterelease

March2,2013

OnCitizenshipAnniversary,HistoricRalliesforEquality

PuertoRicostatehoodsupportersholdsimultaneousralliesinWashington,Orlandoand

SanJuan,callingonPresidentandCongresstohonorPuertoRicoschoice

Washington,DC-Onthedaythatmarksthe96thanniversaryofthe lawthatgranted

U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rico statehood supporters rallied in

Washington,D.C.,Orlando,FloridaandSanJuan,PuertoRicotodemandactionbythe

PresidentandCongressonthepeopleofPuertoRicosNovember6,2012votetoend

theislandsterritorialstatusandbecomeAmericas51ststate.

InWashington,therallyatLafayetteSquare,acrossfromtheWhiteHouse,wasledby

CongressmanPedroPierluisi,thesolerepresentativeintheUnitedStatesCongressof

3.7 million disenfranchised American citizens in Puerto Rico. "For 96 years, underterritorial status,mypeople have livedwith an incomplete, second-class citizenship,"

saidPierluisi."ButthispastNov.6,ourlongjourneytowardscivicequalitytookamajor

stepforward,"headded. "Foritwasonthatday,for the firsttime,thatmorePuerto

Ricansvotedforstatehoodthanforcontinuingasaterritory,"Pierluisideclared.

"Now,it'stimeforthePresidentandCongresstohonorandimplementthewillofthe

people,"said Pierluisi, accompanied by supporters of Puerto Rico's statehood cause,

includingelectedandcivicleadersfromtheislandandtherestofthenation.

"We'rehereinrepresentationofhundredsofthousandsofPuertoRicanveteransandactivedutyservicememberswhohaveansweredtheNation'shighestcallofduty,"said

MichaelQuiles,adecoratedVietnamWarveteran."Wehaveservedandsacrificedas

equalsonthefieldsofbattle,buthaveyettobeequalsinthedemocracythatwehave

foughttodefend."

"FollowingNov.6,consentofthegovernedforterritorialstatusinPuertoRiconolonger

exists,"saidJosAponte,formerSpeakerofthePuertoRicoHouseofRepresentatives.

"The referendum also clearly demonstrated that statehood is the people'spreferred

non-territorial status option, which is why the time has come for the President and

CongresstoacttoenablePuertoRico'stransitiontostatehood."

For additional information related to Puerto Rico's status issue, see

www.puertoricoreport.organdthearticlehttp://www.puertoricoreport.org/statehood-

for-puerto-rico-the-numbers-add-up/#more-2989.

Contact:DennisePrez

Tel.787-510-9256