With the upcoming “Statehood: Yes/No” status plebiscite in Puerto Rico, pro-sovereignty advocates within the Puerto Rican diaspora have risen to support the massive and coordinated “NO to Statehood” campaign in Puerto Rico and in the United States. This major uptick in diaspora activism in support of defeating the YES option has led to some calls by other Puerto Ricans, namely statehooders, that such diaspora Puerto Rican activists have no place in opposing statehood for Puerto Rico.

Diasporas are essential in all freedom movements. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was a diaspora American living and working abroad in London and Paris advocating for and supporting American interests and independence.