JULY 4TH, 1899 FOUNDATION

The July 4th, 1899 Foundation views Leadership and Stewardship as two important elements that are paramount to the success of our organization. As we build on the legacy of Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa and his dream of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st sovereign State of the great American Union. As pioneers of this journey by the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico, we provide Authentic Leadership committed to a Vision, a Mission, and a Goal to bring into realization that dream.

Sound Stewardship is also important to our efforts as keepers of that legacy, our message must remain consistent, and we must stay the course to see the realization of Statehood for Puerto Rico. The democratic principles advocated by our Statehood forbears are the bedrock of our belief that only Statehood will redeem the promise of liberty and dignity inherent in our U.S. citizenship. The Foundation will continue in that same spirit and spare no effort to maintain a clear and cohesive message of unity, so that we may provide the necessary tools and resources to guide the  Statehood movement to its success.                            

That is why the Foundation’s board comprises individuals representing a high standard of diversity, as well as a vast knowledge of the historical and social forces that bear on our Mission. The board’s members are individuals of achievement, experience and leadership, who can help shape the Foundation’s direction as an effective instrument of public advocacy to achieve the goals laid before us on this great journey. Our board is committed to a core ideal to guide the Foundation as a leading policy and academic ‘think-tank’, and as a Non-Partisan organization bringing together individuals given to various causes, to help shape policy and provide clear academic reasoning to our Statehood message.

The board, in addition to guiding the Foundation in its input and day-to-day work, will oversee our efforts to ensure that our work is done with the utmost of integrity, ethics and fiscal accountability. As keepers of the legacy, we will work to provide strong analysis, research, and dissemination of knowledge on policy, and scholarly publications based on clear and sound academic reasoning central to our message. Our Statehood Forebears envisioned Puerto Rico’s full integration to the American Union, and they worked so intensively and longed to see those effort realized. Therefore, the Foundation sees the challenge before us as nothing less than fulfillment and full realization of this dream. 

Acknowledgements:

 

“The work of the July 4th, 1899 Foundation is critical and necessary for the advancement of democracy in the United States and the world. The logical and sober research being promoted by Mr. Rafael Rodriguez and his colleagues from the Foundation, is providing a solid forum that is defining the real issues surrounding the political status of Puerto Rico. By allowing a pure and fair debate, the Foundation allows us to focus on the real economic, academic, cultural, political ramifications inherent in the struggle of the Puerto Rican Americans to define their role in the modern world.”

- Peter Fontanes, Chairman, Mission 51