POCIG

We spoke to Dr. Meléndez about his recent honor. 

Here's some of what he had to say:

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Q: How did you feel upon accepting the award?
A: I am honored to be the recipient of the Edward Blakely Award and grateful to all of you who have made this possible: the Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), and to all the planners and scholars who have fought for social justice and the economic and institutional development of communities of color. Is indeed an honor to know I am following in the footsteps of Ed Blakely, Alvaro Huerta, Manuel Pastor, and Mel King.

 

Q: Who do you want to thank, if anyone?
A: I owe this recognition to my colleagues supporting Puerto Rico’s recovery and to the leaders that every day make a difference in our communities. To them, my deepest gratitude for their encouragement and collaboration. I am especially grateful to my colleagues at Centro who have responded to the challenges posed by the economic, political and humanitarian crises in Puerto Rico and to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria with a renewed commitment and dedication to our people. I want to dedicate this award to my wife Miriam, who every day enriches my life, and to my sons Edgardo and Oscar from whom I have learned to embrace the joy of serving others and the common good. Finally, I would like to thank the POCIG award committee for selecting me as recipient of this prestigious award.

 

Q: What inspires you about the work for which you won your award?
A: Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico. I have been inspired by the rebuilding efforts undertaken, encouraged, and embraced by a wide range of civic sector actors including businesses, cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, religious and educational institutions, both in Puerto Rico and the United States. Since the unset of the economic crisis over a decade ago, to the recent social movement that ousted the governor, rebuilding Puerto Rico has been a long and difficult process. We are inspired by multiple stakeholders from various levels of the policymaking and implementation process in the island and by the diaspora solidarity movement that ensure that recovery and reconstruction efforts lead to a more resilient future and a better Puerto Rico. The history of how Puerto Rico takes advantage of this window of opportunity brought about by catastrophic events is being written in an unfolding present.

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Q: What's next?
A: One of the biggest challenges for Puerto Rico and the diaspora is to implement programs that address the issue of how civic organizations could benefit from federal funding and participate in the recovery and economic reconstruction of the island. In tandem with a working group of civic leaders --which morphed into the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship and Community Action (Instituto de Desarrollo Empresarial y Acción Comunitaria, IDEAComún)-- we hope to be able to support and improve the social entrepreneurial skills of community development professionals, nonprofit organizations capacity to implement economic recovery projects, and to foster island-wide sectoral and intersectoral collaborations among stakeholders.

 

POCIG thanks and salutes Dr. Meléndez for his long-lasting and far-reaching impact on urban planning and development for the cause of social justice, particularly for communities of color. He is truly an outstanding member of our planning community and we hope that we can continue benefiting from his example and path-breaking contributions for many years to come.