Don't talk about it. BE about it.

I have always had very strong viewpoints in regards to how life works and what the "right" choices should be for myself and others. I always have been a forward moving, progressively thinking individual, fighting to push barriers both seen and unseen. I have always been one to get my hands dirty in a situation to effect change in the environment around me. So, if I offend anyone by what I say, I don't mean to and I deeply apologize in advance!

I grew up in a suburb of Detroit. The school system was predominantly black (African American for those uncomfortable with my terminology) and I was always the representative for the Latino people. From a young age, I always knew what it was like to be the "other" amongst a sea of people who knew what it was like to be the "same". If you could only know the frustrations I felt when I would hear people talk about how "the man is oppressing them" or how "being a minority in the suburbs was so hard". Imagine being a minority amongst minorities. Imagine having people disregard your heritage on a daily basis and claim you as their own (which I have to admit had its benefits at times). Imagine knowing your true roots but hiding that pride inside of you for more than half of your life so you can fit in with the rest of the crowd.

Don't tell me that I don't know what it is like to struggle for my people, because I have "good hair, good skin color and I don't carry the masters last name". Don't tell me that I don't have to work as hard as everyone else because "the man doesnt keep me down". Because quite frankly I am enough of me, you, them and everyone else to hold my own self down in ANY situation. Don't call me fake, or a poser. It was because of you that I morphologically developed into a social chameleon. Don't tell me that I don't know about slavery and how dare you ask me "what are you?"

To answer your question, I am a human being, what are you?!

The other day, I was taken aback by a comment that was made towards me. I don't know why, but I felt really offended when this happened and I don't know whether it was my innate repulsiveness to ignorance, or if I was upset because I felt like someone was questioning the validity of what I said but the conversation went as follows:

P: Yea, I was a choreographer for a Puerto Rican folkloric dance that gets its roots from African dances.

XY: Wait, there are black people in Puerto Rico?

P: Umm, yes. Wait, are you serious?

XY: Oh, well I just thought all Puerto Ricans were your complexion or lighter - I didn't know there were actually Africans there too.

P: (at this point my eyes were reeling in the back of my head and I was doing some intense breathing exercises to keep my cool)

So, in regards to this comment, and for seeing that there are people who are unaware

Let me tell you about myself:

My blood comes from the slaughtering of my Taino indians. Natives of Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean at large. They were a traveling people, settling into Puerto Rico, Cuba, Northern parts of South America, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica to name a few.

For those of you who chose to sleep through your World History courses, for 300 years the route of transport of slaves was patterned in the shape of a triangle...First going from Europe to West Africa - from West African Yoruba tribes to the Caribbean and American colonies then back to Europe.

The bloodshed of Tainos, mis Africanos, mixed with the Spanish colonizer/slavetrader blood created the people you see today.

Slavery started in 1517 on the island of Puerto Rico and was not abolished until 1873. Slavery in the US started almost 40 years later and ended 10 years earlier. Now, I agree, it was wrong and horrible either way you look at it. But don't go thinking you were the only ones that suffered in this time, my people suffered too.

My people, your people...are the same people.

However, instead of hanging our heads low and dwelling on the torture that was brought upon our ancestors, my blood flows with pride. I take pride in the bomba y plena and the barriles created by my African ancestors. I take pride in words like huracan, barbacoa, bohio and canoa, words used in Spanish but that originated on the authentic Taino tongue. I take pride in the fact that Puerto Ricans pronounce the R's in our words like L's and we drops the S's from the ends of our words, because the Africans that came to our island could not pronounce these words due to their dialect, so they took their Spaniard Masters words and added their own twist to it.

I take pride in the various shades of brown, white and black that canvas my island. I take pride i knowing you can't put a finger on what I am just by looking at me, because that means I am a culmination of 3 beautiful cultures and I am unique.

So, no offense, but please don't try to assimilate me into your culture. Please, don't try to assume I don't know your struggle. Because we are more alike than we are different and if you really took the time to get to know my history, you would realize that I am just. like. you.

But, to this world, on paper, I am still considered OTHER. In my efforts to move forward and make a better life for myself, I feel like I have to try two, three, four times as hard as the next person. To this country, they hear that I am Latina and they seem to instantly think "illegal immigrant sucking up our government funds?" and when I clarify that I am Puerto Rican and my islanders are US Citizens then they say, "oh, so you're black?". haha.. Nooo, im not. (not that there is anything wrong with that)

After getting this far in my life I have gotten to the point where I advise myself and those I care about to do one thing and one thing only. If you are going to effect change in your environment, if you have plans to do something great - stop talking. KNOW where you come from, KNOW where you are going. Shut up, and do something. Be a woman of Action. Be a man of Action. Be an individual of Action. Stop dwelling on what was. Stop worrying about what is. Stop thinking about what is to come. If you set your mind to something, shut up and do it.

One of my favorite high school teachers had a poster in his classroom that I read on a daily basis and it stated: THERE IS NO TRY. THERE IS ONLY DO OR DON'T DO.

So, my friends, we may seem to be in unfavorable situations at this point in our lives. We may be frustrated with the things we have or don't have. We may be upset about the love we want to find but cannot. But, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit around and let your past dictate who you are? Are you going to sit around and let someone else determine your role in this world? Or, are you going to stand up and be an individual of Action?

The choice is yours. Isn't it time you made history?

My name is SavvyBoricua: Mind, Body and Soul and this is my blog