Don't ask who I am

If you really don't want to understand who I was

or how significant my blood is when it does what it does

I'm not speaking up or saying this for fun

I just feel some advocacy needs to be done

I am Latina

From the broken streets of -Brooklyn

A young woman - put in

To a family that eats arroz con guandules, blast salsa, and is somehow

content with the fact that they’re not apart of

The other world

That continuously pegs us as mexican

when our culture has one comparison

We speak spanish

Stricken with the burden of a world that doesn't acknowledge me

That doesn’t bother teaching my history

All they want us to know is we’re a territory

We’re not entitled to the stars and glory

Because we have no birthright

Puerto Ricans are citizens whether you like it or not

And even if we’re shuffled in from overseas, don’t expect our Latino pride to stop

I come from a peaceful people who walked upon dust and rocks

Naked as the day they were born, they respected the earth and let it call the shots

They were so peaceful but of course Columbus abused them along with his people

He raped, killed, tortured and destroyed the Taino's with his evil

When there weren't enough Taino's left on the island for labor

He brought in Africans and they became the Taino's foreign neighbor

Working alongside each other

Becoming lovers as well as sisters and brothers

Those three races are what's in our blood

As Latinos colonized by Spain we must come to terms and love

What's in us to its whole

There's nothing like our Latino pride

So we should let it radiate and shine

Scaring off the darkness of racist slurs and hurtful words

We’ll stand tall and aim to help each other by doing what’s right

And follow The Young Lords, The Brown Berets and Cesar Chavez in a justified fight

It’s up to us to learn the power and beauty of our people and voice

And not allow our people to remain the invisible choice

We can’t allow the death of Jessica Hernandez to be in vain

And just like the world shouted Tamir Rice they should also shout Andy Lopez’s name

As minorities our stories are one and the same

And deserve equal treatment

It’s unfair that our stories aren’t known as frequent

My people became doctors, teachers and lawyers

Just like you

My people fought back and refused to be under the white man’s shoe

Just like you

But we won’t be just like you till there is proper inclusion

And please don’t give me sick delusions

That spanish heritage month is enough

That really doesn’t give us much justice

And people trust me on this

Empanadas and salsa are not true learning experiences

In that month nothing is taught of Major Salvador Vallejo who helped defeat the confederate's fight

You see what I mean, not one of you know of that man nor his efforts

And that's not right

Look I can go on and on for days about our contributions to the revolution

And how my people helped mold America and get no credit

But I'm pretty sure by now you get my message

And see that it's clear

My fellow Latinos out there it's time for us to rise up

And to the rest of the world, your time ignoring us is up

And I guess this poem could've gone a lot faster

But I can't end this without saying Viva La Raza