“¡Salsa Divina!” – Fotos y Recuerdos…11.11.14 Veteran’s Day with the spirit of my father… Last month I joined a group of black, brown and Asian men at a gathering at 290 Humboldt Avenue in Roxbury convened by our friend Thaddeus Miles. Under a beautiful early Saturday morning we were there for a “Men of Color” photo shoot with the purpose of “changing the narrative, shifting the perceptions and coming together and changing the image.” Our son invited me and as we stood meeting and greeting those around us, a diverse group of young, older and elders, I felt my father’s spirit and light and that of his father every time I shook hands and gave hugs. It was magical because I felt as though we had strong bonds of brotherhood that we each shared through the light and spirit of our fathers and our father’s fathers. All of us united in successfully contributing one way or another to the quality of life of our community. Today I joined another diverse gathering of men, women and children under a beautiful fall afternoon in celebration and tribute to our Veterans at the Puerto Rican Veterans Monument on the corner of Washington and West Dedham Street in Boston’s South End, a short distance from the historic Villa Victoria neighborhood. Once again I felt my father’s spirit and light as I shook hands and shared hugs and kisses with friends, old and new, as we shared our deep love, respect and admiration for the Puerto Rican men and women who have served this country with honor, valor and fidelity. We did so in the shadow of the first and only monument in the United States that pays tribute to the aforementioned group of veterans...a monument that was erected with the purpose of also changing the narrative, shifting the perceptions and changing the image of Puerto Ricans in the Mainland and the Island. I know that I am who I am, do what I do, think what I think and feel what I feel as a direct consequence of being my father’s son. The deep, deep love, affection, respect and admiration that I have for him is knowing very well that whatever trials and tribulations I have experienced in my short time on earth, pale compared to his 93 years of life, especially his experience serving in the United States Army for nearly three decades. He was not one to speak often about the hardships, slights, prejudice, racism and discrimination that he experienced as a black Puerto Rican serving during World War II in England and France. Nor did he share anecdotes about the challenges he then faced as an officer leading men and women, the majority of them white, as a Captain and eventually a Major before retiring. My father wasn’t as fluent in speaking English as his children even though he was an excellent writer in both languages he was more comfortable and eloquent in his native Spanish language. I can’t help but imagine what it was like for him commanding other officers under his command on a daily basis. He didn’t openly speak about the terror of combat, bloodshed and death unless I asked him in the context of world events. My mother was more open about sharing those experiences whenever we spoke about my father in the Army. Whatever he saw convinced him that war was not the answer and by the time I was old enough to be drafted during the Viet Nam war he was adamant that I would pursue my post secondary education at the University of Puerto Rico and subsequently at Antioch College. I may have dreamed of joining the US Army when I was a child and even West Point, but he had others plans for me in store. I have a lot to be thankful for. My father was able to obtain his college degree and masters in accounting at the University of Puerto Rico because of his career in the US Army. I was blessed to have been born at Rodríguez Army Hospital in Ft. Brooke in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The former hospital is now the Museum of the Americas. I am also thankful for the many occasions on car rides from San Juan to Salinas and then Guayama where we would talk about world events, politics, sports, music, family and life. It was during those moments that the era of Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sam Cooke, Dr. Martin Luther King, Cesar Concepción, Joe Valle, Mon Rivera, Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera, don Perucho Cepeda, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, Pedro Albizu Campos, Rafael Hernandez, don Pedro Flores, José Campeche, Ernesto Ramos Antonini, Rafael Cordero and so many other illustrious black men and women from Puerto Rico and the United States would come to life as I understood the struggles of survival and achievement through the life of my father, his father and mother. Knowing what I know about their stories…I imagine being Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente back in the day…or Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders and activists…or my father and his brothers…and other men and women of their generation. The same with those from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and this century who have been the “first” in any aspect of society. It is for that very reason that every day I pray for the health and well being of President Barack Obama and his family and give thanks to him as our commander-in-chief knowing very well that he carries the heaviest burden of us all on his shoulders for the lives and well being of our service men and women. Today, I wore my fathers Army ring and major’s insignias, and with his light and spirit living through me I salute our veterans with the utmost love, respect and admiration. Thank you for your service.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 00:55:23 +0000
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