Group of activists on building steps hold signs advocating for Puerto Rican land rights, solidarity, and self-determination.

Radical imagination: Building community power for parks and public space in Puerto Rico

October 9, 2026

What does advocacy towards park equity and land justice look like in an occupied territory of the United States? Without complete sovereignty or full representation, Puerto Ricans face unique and challenging obstacles in seeking just land ownership and stewardship models. La Colectiva Feminsta en Construcción knows this and recognizes that building community power towards the goal of community self-determination requires radical imagination; it means envisioning a Puerto Rico that has not yet come into existence.

Artwork by La Colectiva Feminista en Construcción. Clockwise from top left: 1) A quote by Grace Lee Boggs: "You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it”; 2) Butterfly sticker with the phrase “We (collectively) create a new life”; 3) “Better times will come; we are building them”; 4) “Cultivate a world where it is possible for us to grow at different paces”.

As a Black feminist and decolonial organization, La Colectiva recognizes that "the different forms of oppression we experience – racism, gender violence, classism, xenophobia, and homophobia – are interrelated manifestations of a system that produces inequality." Their name, which in English loosely translates to "The Feminist Collective In/Under Construction," acknowledges that moving this expansive analysis of feminism into practice requires deconstructing versions of feminism that offer solutions without first considering its intersections with different forms of discrimination, as well as openness to continued learning and radicalization.

True to this approach, La Colectiva integrates their People, Parks, and Power (P3) work into broader struggles for housing justice, youth leadership, public health, reproductive justice, and community self-determination. And despite the continued and combined impacts of austerity, privatization, displacement, and shrinking civic participation on Puerto Rico, La Colectiva implemented a successful community-led pocket park development demonstration, launched a Pocket Parks Community Action Toolkit, and developed a cadre of youth organizers who are conceptualizing municipal policies to advance park equity and preserve public space in San Juan.

Last May, I spoke with Janisse Hernandez about her journey as a member-turned-organizer and leader within La Colectiva and shared reflections on the importance of following a passion, finding community, and the joys of building a new, collective future. Listen to our conversation here:

Join the P3 National Network to learn more and get involved in policy, systems-change, and community power-building approaches to land justice and park equity.