Image taken from Lim & Viner Source (https://ndews.umd.edu/sites/ndews.umd.edu/files/SCS-2018-Philadelphia-FINAL.pdf)
This graph illustrates Moses’ description of the worsening epidemic in numbers. Overdoses in Philadelphia, particularly from fentanyl, have increased dramatically over the past twenty years (Lim & Viner). Read more about patterns of drug use in Philadelphia here.
The Puerto Rican migration to mainland United States grew between 1945 and 1955, with a huge number of Puerto Ricans moving to the US due to economic downturn in Puerto Rico, factory jobs in the US, and the sudden availability of air travel. Click here to learn more (Puerto Rican / Cuban – Migrating to a New Land – Immigration…- Classroom Presentation: Teacher Resources – Library of Congress)
President Richard Nixon declaring the “War on Drugs” in 1971, two years after urging the creation of a national drug policy. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Click here to read an NPR timeline outlining the war on drugs