By Alba Delia Hernández
In this video I recite excerpts from a speech by Pedro Albizu Campos given in Lares, Puerto Rico in 1950. All the words belong to him. It was listening to Albizu’s speeches that I felt I got to know him. He moved me like no other leader has and educated me with his speeches. I tried to convey his fervor and love of Puerto Rico. I created this piece in an effort to share his legacy and to add to the rich history of Puerto Rico that is usually not taught in the United States. The government killed Albizu, but his spirit is alive. He is an inspiration to not be complacent and to demand and fight for justice.
Alba Delia Hernández was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Her writing is often a hybrid of fiction, poetry and narrative fiction. Her writing appears in the Poetry Project series House Party; Like Light (Bright Hill Press); and Calabash (A Journal of Caribbean and Arts and Letters). She is a graduate of Columbia University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is a recipient of the Bronx Council of the Arts First Chapter Award and Columbia University’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature Writing. She teaches creative writing to students in New York City public schools with Teachers & Writers Collaborative. She is also a passionate yoga teacher who loves to stand on her head.
Remembering Don Pedro 