Earlier this month marked the 90th anniversary of the Jones Act granting U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans. As usual, some celebrated while others protested. However, regardless of where you stand in this debate, the fact of the matter is that for 90 years, the residents of Puerto Rico have carried the passport of a nation whose political process they cannot fully partake.

Yet while it is true that the average Puerto Rican would want to see the issue of the island’s political status finally resolved, it is also true that Puerto Ricans seem to lack one emotion that could get them closer to resolving this dilemma than perhaps all the debate in the world – anger. It is amazing how after all these years, the Puerto Rican people have not awoken from the seemingly endless night brought about by this situation. “Despierta Boricua” is an old maxim that sparks a new meaning. It is not about the revolutionary cries for independence of yesteryear. It is, however, about what it going to take for Puerto Ricans to admit to their true lot in life, their true position in the world and feel some sense of outrage.

Ninety years and we still can’t elect our most important government officials. Ninety years and many in our government still do not consider us fellow citizens. Where is the outrage?

This week Congress, once again, had another hearing on Puerto Rico’s status. There have been more than 40 of these and the congressional findings in all these sets of hearings will not be any different than the findings of the previous ones. Unfortunately for the Puerto Rican people, nothing will come out of these hearings.

To many in Washington, this issue can be reduced to one simple sentence, the status of Puerto Rico will be resolved when the people of Puerto Rico tell Congress what they want. I used to believe that this was simply a way to avoid the issue altogether. However, as I see it today, minor changes to that sentence will reduce it to a more appropriate form: the issue of Puerto Rico’s unresolved political status will be resolved once Puerto Ricans demonstrate their anger and frustration with Washington’s lethargy.