Womyn of Color Leaders: Something to Sing About!

"Me Gusta Pierina” is a song I made to remind my friend of her truth.

We need to do more than clap back attacks on exemplary leaders like on AOC and Ketanji Brown Jackson. We need to sing their their beautiful truths. 

When my friend from church, Pierina Sánchez, announced she was running for NY City Council, I was overjoyed, but I wasn’t sure how I could help. Then came the attacks on her authenticity. That is something a trovadór can tackle. 

I let my pen go to work to remind my friend of her truth, imagining her supportive afri-Dominican tias telling her: 

“¡Negrita linda fuerte y capáz! 

No es justo, 

But you know 

You’ve got to do más, 

Pero nunca olvides de donde vendrás.” 

“Negrita” here means not just “Black woman”, it means “My dear Black woman”. It my means “Beloved”. So it’s like: 

“My beloved, beautiful, strong and capable Black girl! 

It’s not fair, 

But you know, 

You have to got to do more (ie. than others, than you should have to). 

But never forget where you come from.” 

You come from love.

You serve in love.

To love you shall return.

Love centering women of color leaders exemplify these truths.

We need to do more than clap back against false and hateful attacks on AOC, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Pierina Anna Sánchez: We need to sing their their beautiful truths, in love and service.

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