Part Two of a Four-Part Series:
"Aprende a hablar español."
My connection with my dad over food, and music, watching him do upholstery and dance salsa in the sala (living room), was priceless. When he watched Godzilla over and over again or anything that he was so into, he would say, "Este Tipo es un cabrón ("This guy is a bastard.")." He openly expressed his frustration about a character in a movie or tv show. It was funny to watch.
Then periodically, he would say as I got older, "Aprender a hablar español." I would laugh inside and think it is easier to learn your native language when you are young.
What changed his mind? Why did he want me to learn Spanish? I felt some shame not knowing how to speak Spanish. Did he feel ashamed that his daughter did not speak the mother tongue?
My mom and dad left Puerto Rico for the U.S. mainland in 1975 during economic stagnation in NYC.1 On top of building a new life in NYC, bilingual education was on the fence. I was born in 1976 to parents who left their island, which had a history of banning Spanish in schools, and then living in NYC when bilingual education was on the table for debate.2
I was raised to appreciate my culture but needed help to acquire my Spanish language. In school, learning history had nothing to do with us, and of course, learning about Christopher Columbus; not sure how early in my years it was, but I remember coloring pages of Columbus setting sail from Spain in three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
As I read "War Against All Puerto Ricans" by Nelson A Dennis and The Tainos by Irving Rouse, I began to unpack everything I didn't know about my culture. When Beverly Daniel Tatum writes in Defining Racism, "The impact racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves "… "we do receive has it been distorted, shaped by cultural stereotypes, and left incomplete."
Stay tuned for Part Three of "Unveiling the Story Behind Heketi's Logo." "Incomplete" was a word I used to describe myself.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/blackout-gallery/
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/21/archives/bilingual-education-stirs-debate-in-new-york-city.html