Don’t forget your pride. (Rafael Rivera)

Don’t forget your pride. That’s what I want to tell the living.

I will tell you now, I was a Nationalistico. I fought for the liberty of Puerto Rico as a sovereign state. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was misguided. But I fought, because I loved my country. I loved my people. And I was ready to stand up for what I believed in.

But I was also afraid. This was a dangerous time with secret meetings in the basement of my house, late at night. I would rally the people: Libertad Puerto Rico (add some more words here). Viva Libertad Puerto Rico. “Stand up together” I would say. Take action!

What I didn’t know was that my daughters 7 and 9 years old, every night they would sneak out of their beds to come listen to our meetings. They were becoming Nationalisticas… they would say to each other… “we need to stand up for Puerto Rico.”

One day they were on their way home to school. They began to chant all the slogans and they decide to have their own little revolución. You know what I’m saying. They ran into a grocery store and these two little girls began shouting and shouting: “Viva Libertad Puerto Rico, Viva Viva!” And then they began throwing everything off the shelves and screaming.

Luckily I knew the owner so he didn’t call the police. He called me and I paid him for everything they broke. I was lucky, because in those days, this was very dangerous. And I was so angry and afraid. I yelled at those two girls. And I remember their confused look and tears in their eyes. What I couldn’t tell them then, what I never told them… was how proud I was. I was so proud of them for standing up, proud of their love for their country and for me.

Maria and Yvelis, if you can hear me… your father is proud. I am so proud of you.