La Libertad Está Aquí
Mi mamá, she works hard for us
4'9 but a giant staring down the face of imperialism
She uses her body as a shield
To protect me from those who wish to cause harm to my brown body —
Tear me into pieces and tell me I am nothing
That my existence is only worth acknowledging when it feeds the mouths of your trigger-happy sons and Eurocentric feminist "wHaT's iNtErSeCtIoNaLitY?" daughters
The new generation
A discreet but invasive species
Take the torch proudly
Eager to continue the exploitation of my being
In their new-found progressive ways
But wait —
I thought a white person's favorite phrase was
"Honey, treat Others the way you want to be treated."
You see, all they got from that was Other
To them I am just Other
An insignificant shell of a human only to be used as a commodity —
Placed on a shelf as a prize
Congratulations, you just won first prize in the category of:
Best Dehumanizer
Best Xenophobe
Best Bystander
Most Racist
And Most Inhumane
Are you happy now?
Your superiority shelf is full of brown bodies
My ancestors
You use as trophies
Please tell me,
How does that double life feel?
Calling on god to protect those mass amounts of food on your table and that glamorous roof over your head
The food my people nurture and bring to life
The roof my people built, brick by brick
Keep those blessings coming, you tell god
As you projectile vomit prayers of love and forgiveness
All while you squeeze the life out of my brothers and sisters in between your unholy
book of prayers
I am free -
No, I am not going back to the land you left stripped of all colors but red
Where the echoes of my people screaming still rings in my ear
I am going home
A la casa de mi mamá
To remove the shield off her tired body onto mine
Prepared to fight the battle of survival versus the glorious act of living
It ends here
It ends with me
The 5'3 brown girl
But I am not alone
I stand hand in hand with my brothers and sisters
Dándonos la paz
As we march to reclaim our freedom
Are you frightened?
You should be.
Prepárense, porque la libertad está aquí.
Linda Flor Brito is the daughter of Rosa Guallpa and Manuel Brito, both immigrants from the beautiful city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Inspired by the resilience and strength of her parents and community, she has dedicated herself to migrant justice work and is committed to fighting against imperialist and policing systems that criminalize and target undocumented immigrants. Focusing on advocacy for unaccompanied immigrant children, she does research and data analysis at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Recognizing liberation is fought for through many fronts, Linda is also a community organizer, editor for Up, Up with Liberation!—a digital collective dedicated to liberation through creative expression, and a poeta.