By Barrett Holman Leak in San Diego, California
“Mi patria, Puerto Rico, Seguimos aqui”.
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio – Bad Bunny – broke out and broke it down at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. All in Spanish, all proudly Puerto Rican. All-American. He showed the world – and it was the world watching that we are still here (seguimos aqui) despite all the horrific things being done to harm people and break their spirits.
He showed the Puerto Rico I know from family, friends, and history: the sugarcane fields of its colonial history, devastation of Hurricane Maria, and how it was abandoned after that horrific natural disaster, but also the resilience and heart of the culture, the people. They did not let it steal their joy. In the midst of tragedy, there are weddings like the real-life one he asked to take place in the midst of the show, giving one couple a wedding beyond their dreams.
When he gave his Grammy to the little boy who sat watching him receive it on a TV, it was to say that “You, too, little one, can dream big and achieve your dreams”. Just as little Benito once dreamed. The message was to not allow anyone to steal your joy.
When he called out for God to bless every single country in the Americas – naming each country- he showed true American spirit (and you know he IS American as Puerto Rico is part of the USA, right??). The unity in diversity message he put on display was palpable and inescapable. Everyone in the stadium and around the world could see and feel it with every musical note.
There was a message in there for all Americans and especially for the African American and Jewish communities. Hold onto your culture, your identity, your faith, your love, your life, your JOY. Antisemitism and racism cannot defeat you so long as you resist. Be resilient in your joy. Be proud of your appearance, religious and cultural traditions; of your survival of American enslavement, Russian pogroms, the Holocaust, Jim Crow racist domination, redlining, expulsions, the fight for civil rights, the fight to return to Judea (Israel) and remain in the land of Israel of which we are indigenous, the American fight to resist fascism and restore democracy, the fight for human dignity for the stranger. We hold onto our memories, our language, and our values.
I am a proud Jew of Color – a multiethnic Black Jewish woman (with Puerto Rican relatives). Proud of every part of my heritage and culture. Every day, I begin each day with the knowledge that I must stand tall and walk with my head held high, no matter what happens. I must hold love in my heart because, as Bad Bunny points out, the only thing more powerful than hate is love. I sadly personally know many people out there fighting hate with hate. We win by resisting and being resilient. By still being here. And so, we must resist becoming full of hate like those who are committing hateful acts. We must live our values and resist by never allowing them to steal our joy.
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Barrett Holman Leak is a freelance writer based in San Diego.
Predica, mi hermana bella!
While I identify as a Bohemian Jew, my interactions with Latinos have given me a deep respect and appreciation for their culture. I love Latino warmth, work-ethics, humor and resilience. My life has been greatly blessed to have these people in my life, so much that I don’t think I’d be the same person without these relationships.