As the campaign for U.S. Senate continues to heat up, Congressman Joe Kennedy has made a concerted effort to appeal to the Spanish-speaking electorate.
Two weeks ago, he hosted the first-ever Spanish language Town Hall in East Boston, and on Monday, he was in the South End rallying with Puerto Rican voters at the Monument on West Newton Street for aid to the island recently ravaged by earthquakes.
Speaking in English and Spanish in the rain on Monday, Congressman Kennedy hosted a solidarity rally at the Puerto Rican Veterans Monument. On Friday, the House of Representatives had approved a spending package of $4.7 billion in recovery aid and tax relief to Puerto Rico that would significantly help efforts to rebuild after a series of devastating earthquakes. Kennedy told the crowd that he was proud to support this package and called on his colleagues in the Senate, along with President Trump, to approve the package as well.
“Last week we learned that President Trump’s administration has threatened to veto this funding – once again showing callous disregard for the pain and suffering of our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico,” said Congressman Kennedy. “I was proud to support this aid and I am proud to stand with you all here today to send a message to Donald Trump that enough is enough.”
Congressman Kennedy and Tony Molina, president of the Puerto Rican Veterans Monument Square Association, noted that this rally was not just about one relief package, but about lifting up the voices of those in Puerto Rico.
“But this is bigger than aid programs or financial infusions,” Kennedy added. “We are here today because the U.S. government has systematically and strategically silenced the voices of Puerto Rico for generations. The people of Puerto Rico are our fellow citizens. They have made immense contributions to every corner of American life. Puerto Rican soldiers like some of the ones standing here with me today have protected our freedoms as part of the United States Armed Forces in every armed conflict since 1917. We need to engage in a much larger and longer strategic overhaul of our government’s treatment of Puerto Rico, including reforms to PROMESA.”
So far, Kennedy has appeared in the South End a handful of times during his Senate campaign, including touring the Mass/Cass area last fall just after announcing his bid for Senate.
Sen. Ed Markey – his opponent – has been to the neighborhood once so far to serve at the Pine Street Inn on Thanksgiving.
Boston Massachusetts Newspaper
