Intersections – A Poem

I am the configuration

Of complex social relations

Stemming from traditions

Rooted in resistance to oppression

My consciousness

My cultural existence

Sings the blues and sorrow songs

Sometimes sung as corridos

You see, I understood why BB King sang

Why I Sing the Blues

At times I echo Aretha’s plea

For R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Other times in my revolutionary moments

I espouse Malcolm’s declaration

For self-determination

In my dreams I have

Emulated the oratory traditions of Dr. King

The winged disciple

Of peace, equality and justice

I have lived in the intersection

The crossroad of ghetto and barrio

When James Brown frenetically

Danced and sang

Inspiring a generation

To Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud!

I ascended lofty ideals

Figuratively mounting the pyramids of my ancestors

To Say it Loud, I’m Chicano and I’m Proud! Too

I am the dialectical outcome

Of intersections of people

With complex historical conditions

Giving rise to voices for social change

Black Panther Party

Organization to Free Los Siete de la Raza

Young Lords Party

I had become a bilingual soul brother

Recognizing the intersections

Of multiple oppressions

Inspired by social movements

To repair the gaps and injustices

Sewn into the fabric of the constitution

A movement, un movimiento

To end poverty, despair and hopelessness

Waving the banners of civil rights and human rights

Peace, equality, justice and self-determination

Paz, igualdad, justicia y autodeterminación

You see, it sounds right either way

Black and Brown unity

…That’s what I’m talking about