Somewhere in the Atlantic
Thoughts from a frequent visitor of "floating island of garbage."
By now the clip from a rally at Madison Square Garden here in NYC has made its way all over the internet and throughout the Puerto Rican diaspora. I asked my dad what he thought. His response was “ese m*ldito cabr*n.”
My TikTok FYP was filled with videos of people showcasing their hometowns or their relatives hometowns in Puerto Rico. Most of the comments on those videos from non-Boricuas have been really lovely and supportive. Sadly, there are still a lot of horrible comments. I don’t feel like describing any of those comments. Journalist Tanzina Vega recently outlined how these sentiments are by design. The disgusting jokes at MSG were not simply poking at underrepresented communities. There are voters who do see Latinos as garbage. Someone just has to say it loud enough for others to feel empowered enough to repeat that “joke.”
Entre broma y broma la verdad se asoma.
In response Bunny posted this video on his Instagram account and captioned it “garbage.” It showcased decades of prominent Puerto Ricans—from Hector Lavoe to Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The video was narrated by Benicio del Toro.
I love that people are showing support and love to a place that means a lot to me personally, and much of my extended family. Yes, it’s an extremely beautiful place. Yes, so many globally influential people have come from that community. Journalists, teachers, scientists, actors, musical superstars. Puerto Ricans are people who deserve your respect. They don’t need to be resilient and creative in the face of years of climate disasters and horrendous policy for respect. No community has to be “great” to deserve respect. No one that was the butt of a “joke” at MSG deserved to anything close to that. And an island doesn’t have to birth globally recognized talent, or be the scene of breathtaking views to deserve basic dignity and respect.
It makes me think of a Marc Anthony song called Preciosa. The title translates to lovely/precious. The song lyrics include these words:
Preciosa seras sin bandera
Sin lauros, ni gloria
Preciosa, Preciosa
Te llaman los hijos de la libertad
Precious you are without a flag, without laurels nor glory, precious precious, the sons of liberty call you. (This is a somewhat clunky direct translation here).
But the support towards the Puerto Rican community in response to the jabs have been great to see. I’m glad so many of us heard those “jokes” and didn’t laugh. We’re in good company together.
Work T.K.
I have a few pending projects and articles that are on their way to being published soon. Here’s what’s pending on my end:
Several articles about sustainable shopping and clothing.
A secondhand holiday guide where I help you source perfectly good items to shop for as we get closer to the end of the year.
I’ll be traveling to a nature reserve soon to write an article about equity in the outdoor space/industry for communities of color. More to come.
A few articles about supporting people who live with HIV.
A Q&A about climate misinformation and why the internet is suddenly delulu about how extreme weather works.
Weekly R.E.P.OR.T
READING: Jessica Valenti’s newsletter, Abortion, Every Day. And Yessenia Funes’ newsletter. And articles on 9 Millones.
EATING: Ñame.
PLAYING: A Little to the Left.
OBSESSING: This song by Carolina Durante featuring Rosalia. It’s giving 2000’s breakup music.
RECOMMENDING: That you go for a daily walk as the days get shorter.
TREATING: Myself to an at home sheet mask and a glass of hard cider.
Puerto Rico deserves love and respect from the world. I'm heartsick and ashamed that those comments were made at all, much less at a political event.