"Broken" Spanish

The language I speak, speaks for itself.
It is a reflection of who I am,
of who my valiant ancestors were,
and of who I refuse to become because of your uneducated misconceptions.

So do yourself the favor, and don't attempt to ridiculize me.
Exerting yourself to do so, can only prove one thing:
Your roots though blatantly obvious, querido (my dear),
have been white washed from here to Spain.

The "Drumbeats of Kinkiness and Blackness" but a distant memory;
one that you claim to no longer relate to.
You fail to recognize your roots,
blasphemously dismissing them as "broken" spanish.

Reasons

In the midst of all the political propaganda for statehood, independence and a sovereign association with the United States, I still encounter Puerto Ricans who have no knowledge of self. You mention some of the greatest leaders of our nation, and it's as if you had mentioned an unknown. In fact, if it does not pertain to the arts, it is a national secret. So you must come to wonder, what then are they proud about? Well, the honest truth is, most could not tell you what or why. Mind you, these are the same people who hang a Puerto Rican flag from their rear view mirror; the same ones that at the sound of "Yo soy Boricua" chant back as loud as they can, "Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas!"

It is disturbing, to say the least. It's as if somewhere along the way... we taught our children to be proud of their heritage, yet failed to give them the many reasons for being proud of who they are. You see, our ancestors were warriors, kings, and conquistadors. Through our veins run the blood of some of the greatest men in history. Some of the most fascinating tales and events have occurred in our little island. It's time that we reevaluate the information that we have stored about ourselves, and dig deeper into the rabbit hole. There is much to be proud of, and what we can learn about ourselves can lead us to make better choices about what tomorrow will hold for us as a people. In the words of one of our greatest, Don Pedro Albizu Campos:

"In order to resolve Puerto Rico's political status, we must first understand who we are and our island's history." - Don Pedro Albizu Campos, after the Ponce Massacre, 1937.

Pedro Albizu Campos

Pedro Albizu Campos, abogado, y uno de los lideres politicos mas importantes de la historia de nuestro pueblo, cuyo apodo es "El Maestro". Abogo por los derechos humanos, los derechos del trabajor, y sobre todo por el derecho de un pueblo a ser libre. Inadvertidamente, es el la razon por la cual los Puertorriqueños tan orgullosamente muestran su bandera, ya que fue el quien incito el espiritu de rebelion en el pueblo, para que su bandera fuera respetada y venerada, sin importar la ilegalidad que tener una conllevaba.

Pedro Albizu Campos, a lawyer, and one of the most prominent political leaders in the history of our country. Known as his nickname, "The Teacher", he championed for human rights, the rights of the worker, and mainly for the right of a country to be free. Inadvertently, he is the reason why many Puerto Ricans are so proud to display their flag, being he who incited the rebellious spirit in the people, so that their flag be respected and venerated, without care for the illegalities that being in posession of one entailed.

"Who are we? We are Puerto Ricans. In order to resolve Puerto Rico's political status, we must first understand who we are and our island's history. In order to destroy our nation, they will have to take our lives." - Don Pedro Albizu Campos, after the Ponce Massacre, 1937.