“It burns and boils inside of you. Over time you can suppress it, but it gets harder to hold back each time. You remember all those times where you were so angry and didn’t do anything because you wanted to be the bigger person…Though it is hard, you do it anyway, and you hold back those tears that are threatening to come out. You do so much to please them that you let go of what you really want so that they can be pleased. Don’t ask for more than what they want to give, so they can stay happy. But, you are not happy. You’re just feigning that happiness as an extension of their happiness. All you want to do is please them, so badly that it is taking away from your happiness and feeding into nothing. You’ve become so used to pleasing them that when asking for something that isn’t in their field of happiness…you’re scared. Scared that they will be angry and not approve, so you don’t ask or fight for it. Your own playfulness turns around and hurts you. Anything you try to do won’t turn out for you to be happy because they take it far from what you are used to. You won’t be able to feel okay for a long time. You don’t even know when that time will come because you’re used to everything being okay for them. Not for yourself. That’s why you want to go far and away.” – Jasmin Arambula
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Response
First, they came for my name:
BRITA?, BITA?, BiTcHIa?
Then, they came for my voice:
“Did you mean to say?”
“Are you sure you understood him correctly?”
“Where did you study?”
“Where are you from?”
Then, they came for my people:
“Go back to where you came from!!!”
“yOU Don’t BeLoNg HeRe!!!”
“Who do you think you are?”
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Finally, they stood alone wondering where they all went. How to get them back because from us they came to their power.
But, what if it all had turned differently? What if we rewinded the tape?
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First, they came for my nam…
Actually, sir, it’s pronounced Bee-thea.
Then, they came for my voi…
“Please, don’t explain something I have explained. If someone has a question about the topic, they can bring their questions to me.”
“I did understand him. I was in his lecture and had a one-on-one with him during his office hours to get his area of expertise.”
“I don’t think that question pertains to what we are discussing. But, I am from Texas. My family is proudly Mexican.”
Then, they came for my peo…
We are proud Latinos looking for better opportunities like you and me. We don’t deserve to be shot in our churches, homes, schools, and shopping centers. We hope to succeed as any other person.
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We are all one nation you and me.