English: I was going to write about love this month but I had too much on my mind due to the state of our country. This month we celebrate the heritage of African Americans in the United States, a heritage marred by slavery, Jim Crow, and systematic racism. This year it is particularly important to remember those scars from the past and be vigilant to ensure that they don’t recur.Afro-Latinos have a similar heritage, for those from my island Dominican Republic, we were the first to have slavery in the Americas and Afro-Latinos like me are a product of that heritage, a product of the genocide and enslavement of our ancestors.This 2017 both African Americans and Afro Latinos need to unify with our brothers and sisters from other races to call out and stand up to racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and the resurgence of xenophobic rhetoric that has swept this nation. This year we Black, Latino, White, Asian, Indian, and Arab need to come together and fight against intolerance both overt and systematic. We should support the future by being vigilant of the past.This black history month we should enjoy and honor the achievements of our ancestors while fighting to make sure that our children will not have to endure the challenges that we have. Let’s keep our eyes open and our drum major alive.
