Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is skipping his team’s visit to the White House this Thursday. The team is invited to celebrate its 2018 World Series win at the White House, but Cora is sticking to his values and stepping out from the party. His reason? He doesn’t agree with the way Trump responded to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico is very important to me,” Cora said in a statement to El Nuevo Dia. “During the winter I spent a lot of time back home, visiting my family and friends. Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting. Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane María struck.”
“Even though the United States Government has helped,” he continued, “there’s still a long road ahead and that is OUR reality. I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence (from the White House) is no different. As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.”
Cora, who is originally from Cagus, Puerto Rico, has good reason to be horrified at the government’s response to Hurricane Maria—or rather, their lack of response. Mind you, the devastation resulted in roughly 3,000 deaths. Trump’s response to the natural disaster has been humiliating, if not outright dangerous.
"That's our reality. You know, it's pretty tough, you know, to go celebrate when we're in where we're at," Cora continued as reported by
CNN. "I'd rather not go. And, you know, just be consistent with everything."
As reported by NBC News, Cora considered attending the celebration, but talked to family and friends and ultimately decided against it. "We talked about it and decided (not going) was the best way to do it," he stated.
This decision shouldn’t be all too surprising. Cora’s activism since Maria has been well-documented. For example, as reported by CNN, Cora shared that when he did contract negotiations with the Red Sox in 2017, he negotiated for a plane full of supplies to help people on the island post-Maria.
A few months later, in January 2018, he went to his hometown personally and delivered supplies. Cora reportedly brought batteries, diapers, and baseball equipment for kids in the neighborhood. All of which is far more meaningful and useful than when our actual president tossed paper towels into a crowd of horrified and bewildered people.
As reported by Rolling Stone, a few other Red Sox players are sitting the visit out. The list includes Jackie Bradley Jr., Rafael Devers, and the American League’s Most Valuable Player Mookie Betts. What Cora (and his teammates) are doing is a prime example of what integrity looks like. Maybe Trump will learn by example? We can only hope.