Registration is now open for the University of Connecticut’s annual policy summit on Puerto Ricans in the state.
The biggest change this year, said Professor Charles Venator-Santiago, is a focus on current, ongoing issues in the state legislature. Venator-Santiago heads UConn’s Puerto Rican Studies Initiative for Community Engagement and Public Policy.
“The goal overall is to bring academics, elected officials, community leaders in the public into a government space where they can have an opportunity to discuss relevant issues with elected officials, academics and community leaders to figure out solutions to these challenging problems,” Venator-Santiago said.
While last year’s inaugural Puerto Rican summit focused on creating a collective policy agenda in one day, some of the session topics, like education disparities and housing inequity, are returning for further discussion in the context of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Two days for discussion
The first half of the two-day summit is focused on mapping the economic landscape of Puerto Rico. In a state boasting a population that’s around 8% Puerto Rican, stateside experts like Venator-Santiago argue Connecticut’s economy is deeply tied to the homeland of so many of its residents.
One panel’s aim is to contextualize Puerto Rico’s economy through the lens of migration. Experts from UConn’s Puerto Rican Studies Initiative, City University of New York’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, and the University of Puerto Rico will try to answer questions like: Why do people leave Puerto Rico? What economic impact does that have on states like Connecticut that receive people leaving the island, and how does outmigration affect Puerto Rico?
Another panel, moderated by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, will go over what federal data is currently available about the Puerto Rican economy with representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Commerce. They’ll be able to share from the federal perspective what imports and exports they’re seeing to Puerto Rico now and how to potentially increase that trade with Connecticut, where there are many Puerto Rican-owned businesses carrying goods from the island.
“We want people to understand what's going on and have an opportunity to participate, to ask questions and to figure out how they can become involved and support,” Venator-Santiago said.
Venator-Santiago said these sessions can better inform the new Connecticut-Puerto Rico Trade Commission, which lawmakers approved last year.
The second day of the summit is dedicated to addressing those key pocketbook issues facing Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. This year, researchers identified additional topics as top-of-mind concerns for Connecticut Boricuas that are currently being addressed in proposed bills this state legislative session. Some of those issues include rent control and energy affordability.
Learn more
UConnPRSI organized the summit in collaboration with diaspora advocacy group National Puerto Rican Agenda and the Connecticut State Legislators Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus.
“We are funded by the legislature to support the experience of Puerto Ricans. But we've been combining Puerto Ricans and Latinos for a long time, and we argue that our policies are going to impact everybody,” Venator-Santiago said. “So in some ways, everyone is welcome to join us.”
The summit begins Friday, March 20, at the Connecticut State Capitol. Day 2 will be held nearby, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
“We're launching different initiatives that will be followed up,” Venator-Santiago said. “So our hope is that we can recruit more people to participate, to sort of understand what's going on and to continue to attend more activities, both in Connecticut and in Puerto Rico.”
