NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A few years ago, Gustavo Barbosa had trouble finding a poem to express his feelings on “Latino history, culture, struggles and triumphs.” So he wrote one himself. Now the Secondary Schools Social Studies and Business Chairperson in the City School District of New Rochelle, Barbosa provided a few powerfully moving moments at the Oct. 3 Board of Education meeting when he read the piece in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“I am passionate about history, and Latino studies and Latin American history are areas very close to my heart,” he said later. “Since I could not find a poem that said what I wanted, I began putting a few ideas on paper. This was the result.”
The poem was included in the book Rise Up Mi Gente! A Roadmap for Latinos to Achieve Success in Corporate America by Jesse A. Mejia. In part, it reads:
Hablo español, quechua, mam, guarani, o chichimeca.
I communicate as easily in English or Spanglish.
I dream in two languages.
Yo amo en dos idiomas.
Enjoy Barbosa’s recitation of his entire poem in the meeting at the William B. Ward Elementary School by clicking here.