In 2017, the New York Times reported that nearly half of Americans did not know Puerto Ricans have U.S citizenship. Many people also do not realize that when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, it was a domestic, not a foreign, disaster. Most importantly — most Americans are unaware that Puerto Rico now faces a humanitarian crisis.

Fact: Puerto Ricans are United States citizens.My grandfather was born in Puerto Rico. As a teenager, he worked in the farms to earn a living. He traveled to upstate New York on June 15, 1953 from Puerto Rico with 15 cents in his pocket. After some time, he opened a restaurant, raised a family, and created a life.I was raised in New York City where many Puerto Ricans, such as my grandfather, chose to call home. At family parties, we eat pernil, platanos, rice and beans, and aguacate. Puerto Rican culture defines who we are.But for two years now, the residents of Puerto Rico have been suffering. Following Hurricane Maria, residents are in desperate need of basic resources: food, clothing, medical care, and housing. They have received little of the federal assistance they were promised.It was not too long ago that the island regained electricity, with functioning power and communications systems in Puerto Rico hindered by the storm.The current White House administration has said no to statehood and no to aid.Instead, the President threw paper towels to hurricane survivors at a televised press conference.He has disputed Puerto Rico’s death toll, falsely claiming nearly 3000 Americans ‘did not die.’He neglected United States citizens and lied about sending 91 billion dollars in disaster relief funds to the island.A few weeks after Hurricane Maria hit, my father called me. He asked that I call my grandmother to console her. My grandmother lost her brother.My grandmother’s family remains in Puerto Rico and still suffers because of the turmoil after the hurricane. They aren’t the only family in need of assistance either.More than 44 percent of the island’s population lives in poverty — a higher rate than any U.S. state. Following Hurricane Maria, 130,000 individuals left and did not return to the island. Congressional inaction and the lack of government aid caused people to suffer needlessly, and even die.Am I upset? You bet I am. Puerto Ricans are constantly treated as second-class citizens. They are constantly plagued by stereotypes looming over them.For every $1 a white man makes, a Hispanic woman makes 60 cents on average. Hispanic women face the biggest pay gap when compared to white men. A persistent gender-based wage gap continues to harm our women, their families, and the economy.Residents of Puerto Rico can vote in presidential primaries, but not in the general election. Still, they must live under federal laws and regulations.The fact is Puerto Ricans have been treated like second class citizens for more than a century. It’s a long-standing tradition. Puerto Rico’s debt is, in many ways, an integral part of the island’s current disaster. Yet, when the issue of Puerto Rico’s debt and disasters are presented to the government, past and present, it is described as a purely local concern. The government portrays federal assistance as a form of benevolence rather than as part of the nation’s responsibility to its people.Going back decades, we find that rather than addressing the root causes of Puerto Rico’s economic problems, Washington has consistently treated the debt as merely the product of missteps in local governance.The truth is, as Puerto Ricans and United States citizens, we have to recognize our own humanity. We have to continue to fight to let our voices be heard, especially if we want our children and the next generation of children to thrive. If we want to continue to open doors and break barriers, we will ensure that when our island is in trouble, it gets the help that it deserves.

*The author is Spokesperson for the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and her family hails from Aguadilla and San Sebastián, Puerto Rico.