A quick one. I know it’s been awhile. If feel like so much has happened, and then again nothing at all, you feel me?
Lately the topic of identity has been on my mind. There are so many layers to it. So in an attempt to examine my own, I put pen to paper and to my surprise I found that I have a lot to say and learn. My hope is to share a broader examination of my cultural identity with you in the future but as I was shifting through the memories, I was reminded of a particularly special moment that I thought I’d share with you now.
Do you remember the 1999 GRAMMYs? The one where Ricky Martin performed Cup of Life? Chances are you don’t, but for me it was a pivotal moment where I felt an enormous pride in being Latina. As a 16-year-old having grown up as a minority in my community, there were more moments leading up to that day where I remember wanting to fit in rather than stand out.
So imagine me as a teenager excited to watch my favorite Pop and R&B artists perform. I didn’t know who Ricky Martin was, let alone how significant his performance would be for me. But as soon as I heard his band start to play something happened. I felt a rush of excitement and disbelief. The kind of rush you get when you run into a friend in an unlikely place. Suddenly, coming out of the TV, was a familiar sound. Percussion, horns, Spanish! The music that I heard at home, that was played at family parties, was being performed on a worldwide stage. A stage that I held in such high regard and thought was only for the Madonnas and Michael Jacksons of the world. But there on the screen was Ricky swinging his hips alongside all the things that I thought made me different.
You can imagine then the impact that seeing the crowd of celebrities give him a standing ovation had on me. It made me realize that it was ok to share what was authentic to me and that there was a good chance it would be met with acceptance and maybe even admiration. I no longer had to hide my love of the things that made me unique. From that point forward I was proud to say that I knew how to speak Spanish and Portuguese, that I could shake my hips too, that I was not just American but Latin America. Full of sabor.
I know you want to watch it so here's a link to one of the only videos I can find on YT: