I am sitting in front of my computer in my South Florida home as the first drenching tropical rains begin to fall from the first Tropical Storm of the 2018 hurricane season. I hope the tarp I placed on my roof holds back the expected deluge from Sub-Tropical storm Alberto as it moves from the Yucatan through the Gulf of Mexico making landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast. I hope the expected urban flooding does not enter my home. I hope no one dies as the water logged-soil attempts to hold in place the large trees while high winds and tornadoes lash my city.
Most of all I am nervous about this summer, but then I remember that my situation pales when compared to the current situation of the Caribbean islands many of which were flattened by Irma and Maria. My friends apartment in Naples has finally been condemned due to water damage and she is forced to move with no affordable option available.The unfortunate farm workers in Immokalee relive the nightmare of Irma every time a hard rain falls. I count my blessings, I have power, I have cell phone service, I have safe drinking water, the electrical grid has been fortified. My friends and family were not forced to move to eke out a living performing odd jobs in a strange land while staying in a hotel room that can be yanked out from under them at a cruel whim from Brock Long or Donald Trump.
Puerto Rico has not recovered, and their misery continues unabated, we should never forget. The video below encapsulates the Puerto Rican story, it is worth a watch.
“Pa’lante,” a contraction of “para adelante,” is a Spanish affirmation meaning “forward.” In the 1960s, it served as the title of the newspaper produced by the historic Puerto Rican civil rights activist group the Young Lords. The group makes an appearance in the video, black and white footage of their protests flickering in and out as stanzas from Pedro Pietri’s poem, “Puerto Rican Obituary,” are read.
“Pa’lante is a very Puerto Rican mindset,” Kristian Mercado Figueroa, who directed the music video, said. “Be it a family struggling to stay together, or recovering from the hurricane, the Puerto Rican people are strong and they will always stand and move forward.”
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