Category: Latino Heritage Month

Preface: Yes, I am late this one but and I actually starting this yesterday while I was out at the bar…

I am sitting here trying to figure out Latinos in pop music. I do not want to say Marc Anthony because that could be an obvious choice. I thought about Christina Aguilera but, I don’t care about her work all that much. Jennifer Lopez seems to be so passed her time. So I have the person that I have left is Pitbull.

I know that hip hop may not be considered as pop music, but it is pretty close. I personally like Pitbull because it is my opinion that he brings something different to the table. Sure, he resides in the Miami, which can considered the dirty south. If you know anything about Miami hip hop then you know that it is pretty much all booty music (no complaints here).

Pitbull is a Cuban American that was put on the music map in 2002 in the Kings of Crunk album by Lil John. Since then he recorded his debut album M.I.A.M.I in 2004 and 3 other albums since then. It is always interesting to see where Latino rappers fall in the hip hop genre. I think he lyrics are funny and his songs make me want to dance. I was a huge fan of Big Pun and when he died, there was a huge whole left in terms of Latinos in Hip Hop.

Then Pitbull comes along with this flashy beats and catchy hooks and before you know it he is 4 albums deep and is almost everywhere in Miami. When we think about Latino artists in pop music, I know he may not be as big as Santana, or have the fan support of Christina Aguilera, but I feel that he is growing in popularity that he will be a big force within the industry.

 

Music has always been a part if my life. While I may not have appreciated Spanish music when I was a kid, I have grown to love it as an adult. My house was always blaring Salsa when times were good. My dad had 8 track and vinyl of just about all the biggest Salsa artists of the time. I have spent most of my adult years searching for all the music.

All the music was kept in the basement. This was where the precious stereo, that I could not touch, lived in this wall unit that had all the records in one space. The 8 track tapes were in another space. Scratching of the vinyl was considered a capital offense in my house. I never knew why because it seem that rap music was getting away with it at the time so why could I not try it? Needless to say I was not stupid.

My dad also had a set of Congas that I just loved to bang on. I was not as good as he was on them, but he let me play on the smaller bongos for good measure. Every so often a song would play and he would sit and play them. It seems to go into rhythm so it was all good to me. What I was also allowed to play with was the guiro. This wooden percussion instrument that my dad used to show me how to play. I would laugh to my self because the handle of instrument that scraped the guiro looked like my brother’s afro pick (and we are not black…riiight!)  I also loved the claves! The looked like nun-chucks that Bruce Lee used in the movies! I would play with those too with my dad.

Now that I think about it, I think he had like a whole set because I seem to remember the cow bells and maracas too. I couldn’t tell you what happened to all that stuff, but I remember it fondly. When he wasn’t around I would spend hours looking at the record covers. Some of the art on those covers was so cool to me. I would also see pictures of Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, El Gran Combo and Johnny Pecheco (to name a few). Of course, of thing about Latinos is that all music revolves around sex and some of the covers had art of naked women…but that is besides the point.. 🙂

I used to watch my dad painstakingly record all this music from vinyl, 8 track, and reel to reel (yes that old) on to tapes (that are now out of date). He used to make copies for people because my dad had all the latest music and all the oldies. I found myself being that way in college where I would do the same thing for hip hop. I would make tapes for people because I had all the good stuff.

Of course, getting older and taking pride in where I come from, I have a good part of my 30’s looking for the same music my dad used to blast. There are some songs that stick with me like “Pedro Nejava” byWillie Colon. Often times when I do visit my father in Florida, I raid his CD collection and covert hours of music into  my iTunes.

One thing that he currently has, that I am dying to get my hand on is his vinyl to CD recorder. That will put me in a world all of my own if I can get some of his old stuff that I cannot find. I would be set. The point is music is gift from a rich culture. I love salsa so much that I can barely stay still when I hear it. I have been lucky enough to see a few good live artists. But this obsession I have will not die anytime soon.

If you have read my blog for a while then you know that I am no stranger to this subject. I specifically added this topic to the blog challenge because I think it is something that should always be talked about even though the purpose of this month is unity, it is also about education. Do not get me wrong, I love being Latino and I have said that from day 1, but the only draw back is how there seems to be a color divide amongst us.

Last February I talked a lot about Afro Latinos and how they are at the bottom of the social ladder in the Latin American culture. A good example is the comic book shown above. Memín Pinguín is a character in a comic book created in the 1940’s. Somehow this comic is still popular in places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Panama, and Colombia. The character is about the misadventures of a poor Cuban Mexican boy. This book has become so popular that there have been talks about a live action movie.

Depending on whom you speak to there can be arguments that this book is meant to be comedy and that there are stories of pride that takes place from Memín. However, it is my opinion that you can dress up a pig in make up, but it is still a pig. The problem is the way Afro Latinos are viewed in many of the same places that this book is popular. Is there no wonder that they are not taken seriously within Latino culture. I consider this book to be very much like black face in the United States for African Americans.

I made a joke on Twitter during the World Cup that this event would one of the few times we would black people all over Univision (since they televised all the games). While I meant in jest, I know that what I said is more or less true. I will be one of the first people to tell you the this type of prejudice exists in my own family. Dark or light, I will guarantee you that most people in my family have been told to date/marry someone lighter than them. How does something like that make us feel about our skin color? How are we to look in the mirror and see beauty in our complexion when the ones who are supposed to love us find it hard?

We have deep issues with identity as a people. There are those who would rather just believe that we have no African influence at all in our blood and culture. Unfortunately our art and music depute this notion. Being black is viewed so negatively that we are lose the meaning of what makes being Latino so great.  I have personally felt that color divide in college when I simply did not fit in with Latinos and African Americans. Of course, when I look back at it, I never really had to fit into both because being Afro Latino gives me fluidity to  fit into both.

So far this has been the toughest of all the days. I had to really look at what picture I wanted to post so that I can explain it’s significance. I scoured the web for different things, but I settled on this picture above because I took this picture 5 years ago when I was in Puerto Rico. I wanted to post a picture that I actually took because I feel that since I was actually at this place, I can explain it a little better.

When I see this picture or even its silhouette, I think about my childhood. There have been pictures of this fort in my house. In fact, Bacardi was such a household name that this was one of their insignias in the early 80’s. I may be wrong about that, but I remember seeing this in some kind of advertising. Anyway, I knew that this was a place in Puerto Rico. I wasn’t sure about it’s significance or its importance, I just knew when I was a kid that it existed.

I have been to Puerto Rico twice. Once as a kid in the mid 1980’s and again as an adult in 2005. I have have been to this fort twice, but I did not appreciate the beauty of “El Morro” until I was an adult. In fact, the parts of the island that I visited are all just gorgeous to me, but I really enjoyed Old San Juan, which is where the fort is. So let’s get to the facts…

Fort San Felipe del Morro (other wise known as “El Morro”) was built in the 16th-century and is located on the northwestern-most point of the islet of Old San Juan. It was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain and was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay. It’s sole purpose was to defend the city of Old San Juan from seaborne enemies. During Spanish rule this fort saw action against the English in 1595 in which the fort fought back the British. It was attacked again in 1598, but this time by land in which the Spaniards were almost beaten. The Dutch also followed suit and although the fort fought them off…the Dutch burned the city down before leaving. (You can read more about this here)

When I was at El Morro, there was talk about frequently fending off pirates. What I find interesting is that during my trip to the Caribbean in 2007 there was alot of talk about the history of pirates in the region. Which is another reason for all the forts being built. As a matter of fact, forts like El Morro were a bit of a calling card during the Spanish Rule of Latin America. Similar fortifications can be found in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panamá.

The significance to me is that no matter if our ancestry lies in different islands, different paths, or different families, we are all brought together by history. In some way, our people have a shared experience outside our shared language. El Morro represents a small part of that.

Today is Day 6 in the 30 Day challenge and I have already posted my poem here. I wanted to this take time out to thank those people who have been participating in this. I can say that with 6 days down and I have already challenged myself with a few things. Not to mention that I have been getting messages from other people telling me who hard some of these topics really are.

The story about my two grandmothers really took me awhile to write. There was also some emotion into it because I was remembering things that I have not thought about in some time. Interestingly enough, this is only the tip of the ice berg here. I know which days will be harder for me than others. So I look forward in tackling those days.

I really did not think about compiling a list of blogs that are participating in this Latino Blog Challenge because I honestly did not think many people would have been all that interested in this. So while this day was slated to be a day off for this blog since I wrote the poem on the other one, I think that now is the time to list all the people who contributing to this. I have noticed there are some that are strict with posting everyday and some who may post a few blogs in one day in order to catch up. Every so often I will add some entries to my Facebook page as a highlight.

So here they are:

• Nuñez Daughter
• She says whatever (and so should you)
• Born to Tip the Scales 
• La Loba lives
• Eccentric Girl
• Vishuddha
• BU Latino 

Please keep in mind that some blogs do write about other things everyday as well, while others may simply just do this challenge. I am happy that some people have engaged me with this and it has been so much fun reading other people’s thoughts (espically about the food…I was so hungry that day).

As someone said to me… A writer keep writing! (have fun mi gente)

When I think about growing up Latino, I am forced to think about my grandmothers. These are the only two women that were in my life that always seem to remind me of what I am. I was closer to my maternal grandmother than I was to my paternal one, but that does not mean that I do not still think about either of them.

My maternal grandmother was called “abuelita”. She was the head of the family and as far as I could tell was the sweetest woman in the world. Always treated me like I was special. In fact, mi abuelita treated me perfectly. I remember her being in her bed alot and being sick often enough. She would have her walker and walk around her apt. But, no matter how she felt, she always made the best food.

I just thought about this when as I writing. Mi abuelita was the first woman I wrote a poem for. I must have been in like that 3-4 grade. We were celebrating her birthday and there was all kinds of food and a delicious cake. My aunts and uncles were giving her presents. I remember that I had no money so I used to make cards (it is what you do as a kid; take some construction paper and fold it in half…draw something) and when I saw what every one was giving her I became self conscious.

I wanted to just give her the card and walk away because it was just words on some made up card. She saw me and (she always spoke to me in Spanish) told me to come to her. So I cautiously walked up in my shy way. Mi abuelita asked me what I have in my hands. I told her that it was a card that I made and that I wrote a poem. At this point, I just wanted to just give it to her then run and put my head under a pillow because I feel everyone’s eyes on me. Then she asked me to read it.

Truth be told. I do not remember what I wrote. I just remember that the poem was about her and how I struggled so hard to rhyme the word pleasant. So I remember that I used the phrase..”pleasant as a pheasant” (boy, I can put those words together cant I???). At the end of my poem, she grabbed my arm and thanked me and told me that my words made her feel very good. I could feel her encouragement. I will tell you when she died years later, I am not sure that I cried any harder than that day.

My paternal grandmother was called “abuela”. I did not see her as much as my abuelita but I remember there was a time that she used to take care of me as a kid. Family issues being what they were, I was still able to see her when the chance became available when I was older.

What I remember about her the most was everything was in Spanish! The feel of her apartment was just so different to me. Sure, she kept old things around but they were very ethnic. Mi abuela had a small radio in the kitchen that played Spanish music and talked about the news. When the tv was on, we watched novelas and/or anything on Telemundo. I would also watch her cook. I was always amazed how she cooked everything. If I was lucky, she would let me chop or cut anything to help her. All her instructions were in Spanish.

There are very few regrets I have in life, but one of them is not spending as much time with mi abuela as I got older. She died a few years ago. When I look at my mi tia that I stay with when I visit NYC, I see mi abuela in her. So this is part of the reason why I feel the need to take of my tia when I see and when I eventually move back to New York City.

I feel that my 2 grandmothers always reminded me of where I came from. Through culture, food, religion, and most importantly, their love.

I do my best to try to read as many blogs as I can. Some blogs are very long and drawn out. Some are very simple. Then there are the blogs that are simply great. All the blogs on my blog roll are worth reading and I have more than twenty five on that listed sorted by when they post. The one that always seems to be near on the top of that list every time I look at it is Latino Sexuality.

The brilliant mind behind this blog is Bianca Laureano. I first met her over twitter last year and personally last December and I have to tell you all that she is the real deal. She know what she is talking about and writes many articles about sex and society on different sites. I was interested in her because of her posts last year about Afro Latinos. This lead to her and I collaborating on the LatiNegr@s grass roots project last February that saw both blogs dedicating posts to the contributions of Afro Latinos for black history month. The result was this site: LatiNegr@s on tumblr (which is still active).

What I like about her blog is how real she is when it come to sex and the community. I personally find it hard to talk about sex in a public forum such as this. Sure, I can write some poems about it but, she takes it to another level at times. Bianca is a sex educator and does her job well. She is also a good friend who I have learned a great deal from. Her belief is that our community needs to better educated with issues of sex and I have to agree with her. The best part about this is that she available as a speaker.

Her blog is a connection to the larger Latino Sexualty site. Here is where she really proves that she is as real as what she says she is. I am all about people being real in their blogs. I think that she really walks to the talk. Her blog is something that I would recommend to anyone. Sure it is about sex but she is very knowledgeable about Latino culture and is a champion of women’s issue.

 
I  had a conversation the other day with a fellow blogger and she stated to me that she thought my favorite food was Chuleta (Pork Chops) and I laughed because that so for from the truth. She had good reasoning too because if you follow me on Twitter you will know that when I get into my cooking sprees, I usually have chuleta with arroz con maiz (rice with corn). But, the one thing that I just love that seems to go with any Latino meal is Platano Maduros (sweet plantains).

Lord help me if maduros were ever to leave this world I do not know if i can find the same pleasure in life. Food means that much to me because I really feel it is the essence of our culture. I also feel that cooking is the one thing that I can do correctly. My dad taught me a lot of fundamentals of cooking and I figure that if I cannot speak the language the right way then perhaps I can get the food correct and pass that to any children I may have.

The reason I love maduros so much is the sweet taste and the rugged texture. The savory flavor is a welcome addition to any meal. With that said, there are meals that are bases around maduros that I have not mastered. There is a dish called pastalone or piñon. These dishes are to die for. I know as a kid someone made this and I am not sure who, but, my ex-wife’s grandmother made this one day and I have not been the same since. I would compare this to a lasagna or a meat pie if you can imagine that. My ex wife has made a low fat version of this using turkey which is just as good.

I am not exactly sure when I fell in love with maduros because I know that I rarely had them when I was a kid. However, when I was living with my dad during my high school years, he used to make them frequently enough. My step mother would yell at me because I would eat so many of them and leave her with very little or nothing at all! (I am literally laughing as I write this…)

There was one thing that my dad used to do with maduros that would just make my entire night was that he would bake them. He would would wait until the platanos were ripe enough and peel them. Then he would take a knife a cut a slit right down the middle and add cheese….wow. I do not know what kind of cheese though and I know it wasn’t sliced cheese either. I may have to ask him when I am done writing this what cheese he used. Anyway, I think that is when I fell in love with platanos maduros.

I make them as often as I can and now after writing this I am hungry…

It is not like I have traveled as much as I would like to. I feel as I have gotten older, the need to go and see other places in the world seems to grow. It would also makes sense to do it now while I still can. I have considered myself to be just Puerto Rican for such a long time because my mother’s side of the family seemed to dominate the amount of time spent around me. So, it was easy to forget or ignore the part of my family that is from Ecuador.

My dad is half Ecuadorian and since my grandfather is not viewed in a positive light, there haven’t many opportunities for me to celebrate that side of my heritage. So it really wasn’t until my father started dating my step mother that I really began to see anything to do with Ecuador. My step mother is Ecuadorian and I have learned so much from her about this country. I have heard the music and at first I was like…”what the hell is this?” But, as I kept hearing it, it began to grow on me. Of course, she only played it when she was cleaning but that is not the point. The food…well, I love food and she makes this ceviche that would make crack seem like a small piece of chocolate.

I will admit that I had no desire to go there when I was a teenager but as I have grown older, I have felt a slight pull to Ecuador. I am very curious about that part of my ancestry and would love to see where this leads. The last time I was in NYC to visit my aunt, she pulled out this picture of my great grandfather and he looked so much like my dad! So this lead to a very long and deep discussion on a possible family tree. But, I feel, in order for me to start that, I need to plan a trip to Ecuador.

I have a few friends who are from Ecuador and they tell me that is a gorgeous place. The only problem for me is that I do not even know where to start. My step mother hasn’t been there in quite a while (other wise I would have to sneak on the plane with her) so I need to figure out where the best place is to visit.

Of course, I could start with Quito (the capital), but something tells me that I will get so lost in the shuffle. I should probably mention that I need to go with someone. No way am I going to Ecuador alone! Let me not mention that my Spanish is purely for food, medical, and bathrooms. Needless to say I will need to make sure that I can navigate this place with someone.

I have seen pictures and I heard stories from people who have been and I hoping that I get the same feeling I get when I went to Puerto Rico, which was a feeling that I belonged. Clearly, I am an American, but I felt so different because it was like everyone was close to my complexion so it felt great to me! So, I am not sure what to expect in Ecuador but I am hoping that this will be like a second homecoming.

I had to think about this one for awhile. There are so many things that I love about being Latino. I can go into things like culture, or food, or music but that, to me, just does not cover all of it exactly. My assessment about life has always been based on feeling. My overall feeling about being Latino is that we all seem to embody our culture and our lifestyle and I love it.

The funny thing is that when I was living in the Bronx as a kid, the people in the neighborhood were mostly Puerto Rican. So in many cases, the sense of being unique is lost because everyone is sort of doing the same thing. It was no big deal to listen to salsa all day and all night on a Saturday while the adults drink beer as the food was cooking. It was normal to me to have rice and beans every day. So when I left that element to go to college, I began to see the richness of my culture and realized that I have the ability to embody my culture.

It is a pride thing. We know that our culture is rich. We know that our people look good. And we know this so well that you can feel it when we dance. You can taste it in the love we put in our foods we cook. You hear it with every roll of the r when we speak our language. We embody our culture.

I love the fact that I can walk through the Schine Student Center at Syracuse University and see Latino student in the Atrium where there are information tables on their various organizations. Everything is all social and when someone plays salsa, merengue, or bachata then we all get to really see the culture come alive! I noticed that all the students I know embody their culture in such obvious ways. I makes me feel that I am still in the Bronx at a block party.

So when I talk about the embodying nature that each one of us has it is like the sum of the whole. Latinos come in different shades and from different countries and yet we are a part of this mass of people called “Hispanic”. I think that because we are are so definable by language and yet so undefinable by appearance that out culture manages to live through us.