[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E828-E829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING DR. JOSE CELSO BARBOSA

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 2021

  Miss GONZALEZ-COLON. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Dr. 
Jose Celso Barbosa, born 157 years ago today.
  Dr. Barbosa, the father of the Puerto Rican Statehood movement, was a 
distinguished physician, politician and publisher, and founder of the 
Republican Party in Puerto Rico.
  Born in the city of Bayamon, in a time when a black man had limited 
opportunities, he broke barriers and studied medicine at the University 
of Michigan, where he grew to understand the values of the United 
States, and when he came back to Puerto Rico in 1880 he began to 
challenge the Spanish colonial system, becoming active in seeking 
greater home rule.
  When Puerto Rico became part of the United States after the Spanish 
American War, Barbosa saw in the American Constitution and in Statehood 
the way to ensure democracy, liberty and equality for the people of his 
Island. Establishing the Republican Party in Puerto Rico on the 4th of 
July 1899, he became the strongest and most fervent voice in favor of 
American law and institutions. From his positions both in the Executive 
Cabinet and later in the Senate of Puerto Rico, he steadfastly insisted 
that this should mean full equality as a State of the Union.
  For a century since his passing, generations of leaders in Puerto 
Rico across all social divides have followed the inspiration of 
Barbosa, striving to make his aspiration a reality: for the people of 
Puerto Rico to fully participate as American Citizens, contributing to 
the nation

[[Page E829]]

and sharing in its future, by having our Island become a State of the 
Union.
  That was his ideal and it is mine, and that of many in Puerto Rico. 
Just last November, a majority of our voters said Yes to Barbosa's 
vision, electing statehood. I am here to make sure that their voice is 
heard, as the best way to honor his memory and reaffirm his goal.
  Barbosa's memory lives on, in everyone who seeks justice and equality 
for Puerto Rico.

                          ____________________