A massive storm, with a death toll higher than that of Katrina, hit Puerto Rico on September 16th, 2017. This force of nature was Hurricane Maria, and it killed over 3,000 United States citizens. However, rather than headlines describing us as people in need, I only saw phrases like “foreigners”, “immigrants”, and “freeloaders” to name a few.
People here in the states did not realize we as Puerto Ricans, like them, are United States citizens. This massive ignorance was further empowered by the many tweets and discussions by Donald Trump, who disrespectfully stated
“Puerto Rico is one of the most corrupt places on earth.”
I was distraught as a Puerto Rican. I was infuriated as a Latino. I was driven as a graphic designer. This harrowing series of events led to my creation of Vené, an online store, and platform dedicated to the representation and education of Latin culture, beginning with Puerto Rico.