El Sen~or de Philadelphia

I almost forgot how important it is to write.
Truth is, some people never write, some people write more than others, and some people dedicate their lives to writing. While I’ve never considered myself a writer per say, I’ve always acknowledged the importance of writing to help me gain insight into the workings of the world, the people who live in it, and myself. When I write I am much more organized in thought and in action and begin to feel more like an active participant in my environment rather than an observer (in behavior with myself and with others), as a result of my heightened awareness….

10-7-09
I met an older man from Philadelphia who came into our clinic to receive a free flu shot. After helping register him to receive his vaccine, I mentioned to him I was from NYC and not long after found myself engaged in heavy conversation. We spoke about Dominican Republic, yucca con cebollas and everything in between. He had piercing eyes which spoke words of their own, powerfully reinforcing the heartfelt words which so sweetly flowed from his lips into my ears- ‘nunca olvide tus raices’ – never forget your roots.
Every day I walk out of my new LA house into the community of Pico Union. Pico Union community whose population is 90% Latino, mostly Mexican, but a good portion are Honduran, Guatemalan, and El Salvadoran is your typical Barrio setting. I feel right at home. Every day I drive to work and as of late have been nonstop blasting the “In the Heights” soundtrack just getting lost in the music, while simultaneously driving and dancing to the heavy conga beats, blasting trumpets, and powerful voices. I hear the lyrics pacience y fe, patience and faith, and think of my mom’s similar (but not exact) version of the same message, todo a su debido tiempo, everything in due time. I think about how lucky I am to be here and about the struggles which were overcome by my parents to get us where we are today. I also think about the struggles which other families like mine went through, are going through, and will go through, and how resilient the human heart and mind can be. I am so proud to come from a mother who at the age of 30-something paid someone 20 dollars to teach her the ABC’s on a plane on the way to the United States and that I have a dad who’s had to wear dentures his whole life because the only thing he could manage to eat growing up was sugar cane. Because of them and their struggles, I have the power to change the world, and to take part in tearing down systems which to this day continue to hold people, not only those of Latino background, down. I can fight for those who don’t have a voice.
I am so proud to be Latino. I am so proud to be gay. I am so proud to be an uncle, a brother, a son, a lover, a friend, to be a man. I am so proud to be a human being who can empathize with other human beings. I am so proud to be me.
Thank you old man from Philadelphia: I promise I will never forget my roots.