The Welfare Poets and other concerned organizations and individuals have come together to collaborate on a fund raising project to directly aid the current Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War, incarcerated for fighting for the independence and self-determination of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican Freedom Album

The Freedom Album will be a musical CD/compilation dedicated to the welfare of our political prisoners. We have united under the name The Puerto Rican Freedom Project Committee. Additionally, we also want this album to assist past Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War who have been freed and are now attempting to survive in a system where many channels have been closed to them, and even possibly aid future
Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War.

The Puerto Rican Freedom Project Committee has begun mailing Puerto Rican artists of all genres across the U.S., on the island and elsewhere to let them know about the project and to initiate the process of song submissionOur desire is to get a wide range of Puerto Rican artists from the local grass-rooted bands to those who are mainstream and have the eye of the world press. Submissions will be taken until March 1st of 2008 and should be sent initially in MP3 format to Freedomalbum@gmail.com. Our goal is to have the compilation completed by the end of Summer 2008. We are also in the process of contacting other Puerto Rican organizations and cultural institutions to assist in sponsoring and implementing the proposed project.

Goals of the Project

• We hope this album serves to raise the necessary funds as outlined above.
• We hope this album serves as a base to educate the public about the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners' existence and individual cases.
• We want to offer the public an additional way to directly assist the effort to aid and free the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners.
• In addition to selling this album on line through various websites and locally throughout the states and island in Puerto Rican communities, we hope this album is picked up and distributed on an international level, expanding its overall reach.
• Finally, we also hope to unify the Puerto Rican community on many levels by bringing Puerto Rican artists and organizations from Puerto Rico , NYC, Chicago , California , Philadelphia , New Jersey and all over the Puerto Rican Diaspora together in an effort of supporting those who have sacrificed everything for the love of our island's freedom.

Background on The fight for Freedom

The fight for Puerto Rico 's independence go as far back as indigenous resistance to Spanish occupation. For well over 500 years, countless and nameless individuals have fought for our islands sovereignty. Some have paid the ultimate price with their lives. Others have been held captive, arrested against their will, by a court which held no jurisdiction over their cases and trampled on their international right to fight for the liberation of their homeland, our homeland, Puerto Rico . The Puerto Rican people have been able to free many of our political prisoners. We did so because we created unity amongst ourselves and because we welcomed the solidarity of all our allies. This Freedom Album is another example of our creativity in building solidarity and unity amongst ourselves.

This album will educate, agitate and help further build our movement to free our companeros behind the walls.

Our companeros are Oscar Lopez Rivera, Carlos Alberto Torres, Haydee Beltran Torres and Jose Perez Gonzalez.

Join the efforts

If you are interested in sponsoring or participating in
The Puerto Rican Freedom Project drop us an e-mail at Freedomalbum@gmail.com

For More Information

About the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and the album,
go to www.myspace.com/freeourpoliticalprisoners

Email us at: Freedomalbum@gmail.com