Felipe Luciano of the Last Poets on Race

RE: Race in America, the Grand Denial
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Marvin: The madness started in 1508 when the first black man stepped
foot on the island of Borinquen (Puerto Rico) under the Spanish flag.
We were here long before the Brits took over the slave trade from the
Spanish in the battle called the Great Armada in 1588. It was 111 years
from 1508 to 1619, roughly 3 generations, that black people populated
and cultivated Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hispaniola, Mexico, all of Central and
South America. Their intercultural/interracial exchange with indigenous
people was a result of Spanish genocide through sickness and murder. The
good ole Church, seeing the red man die, demanded that Africans be
kidnapped and brought to these shores to work the land. The Congolese
were brought to Puerto Rico and Cuba, the Nigerians to Cuba, the
Angolans to Brazil, the Guineans to Hispaniola, with all kinds of
mixtures in between. Interestingly enough, many of the Black Latinos
were Muslim and to this day, we manifest Islamic cultural from every
word we speak that starts with al to the high pitched jibaro vocal style
singing that goes back to the call to muezzin Islamic call to prayer.
You will hear often in Latin songs "Salaam aleikum" or "Shale Maleikum"
which is how the slaves popularized the greeting. We were here long
before 1619, we were black, strong and family oriented because the
Spanish and Portugese brought whole families over. Once they realized
that rebellion was the consequence of slavery vs. black family, they
told the British to switch the script: destroy the family, divide the
tribe, deny the male the right to fight back, kill him. So the natural
instinct to defend and protect is channeled against ourselves which is
why so many "natural warriors" are in jail. Peace be unto you, my
brother, my friend. Abrazos and....

Best regards,

Felipe