The 2018 DC Puerto Rican Diaspora Summit addressed challenges and opportunities on the island from the perspective of Puerto Rican that reside in Washington, DC as described in Mayor Bowser’s Proclamation of October 27 Puerto Rican Day.

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) was once again a great host for this event. I enjoyed the opportunity to hear the discussion about the role of local governments as the first line of emergency response and the existing programs to provide community development needs.

In September of 2017 Mayor Bowser supported 10 DC MPD officers who volunteered off-duty time to join the Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The MPD officers worked alongside members of the Puerto Rico State Police. Thank you for the opportunity to provide remarks at this important event.

Thumbs up once again to the UDC student Association, BoricuActivate, Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora, Cenadores and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Friend of Puerto Rico, the National Puerto Rican Agenda, Margarita Varela, Angelique Sina, Eduardo Conde and the rest of the team that supported the successful execution of this event. https://bit.ly/2CKV9Oc