Unknown 0:01 On September 9 1968, I and seven more people I believe came to New York City arrive at JFK airport. Unknown 0:22 We were greeted by my father and two of my brothers Mingo and Mikey Papa with the see him with the see the three of them when we got into the main terminal, and they were up above us, and we can see their hands like hitting a glass that’s what I remember. Unknown 0:51 But then again I suffer from a rose colored view of events that took place in my life I have a rose colored view it means that I see everything in a color of positivity. Unknown 1:25 I don’t want or maybe I choose not to acknowledge all the possible abuse, physical, mental, verbal and otherwise, that may have taken place during my development. Unknown 1:54 I choose to have a positive view outward inward and otherwise about growing up in a house where there were nine children. Unknown 2:14 Two parents a dog at some point a cat and a bunch of cousins and friends, that anytime somebody came from the old country, they would pass by my house or two, three weeks or months. There was an open door policy that no government has ever exercised the way my father now always. Unknown 2:49 My father allowed me my older brothers Chacho. Hinako Elito and I’m purple. Unknown 3:02 enamel, little purple, chacha, henna little, little purple. Unknown 3:10 And then we have my younger sister, Laura, the adorable one but in the back of her basement that we inhabit it since 1968, and for like 20 years or so, until it was condemned and everybody moved out, given new apartments and this dog in the third. In the back there was a room with a boiler with a boiler was but that boiler was not active. We use the woman 511 So it was 507 511 and 515 on 100/72 Street between Autobahn Avenue in Amsterdam Avenue. Unknown 3:56 To the east, there was hybrid park to the west, George Washington Bridge in New Jersey. Unknown 4:08 But in my house I remember in the back my father gave us a room where we played music in almost every weekend. My brother, Chacho, chatter was the man charged to read things. Chacha was a golden child. And I can recall that my brother who was three years older than me 50 He was born in 55. I was born in 59. So I guess he’s four years older than me, but Chacho, Rafa. El spin out, man, that guy, he has such charisma. Unknown 4:53 He was so charismatic and dogmatic because he has certain ideas and beliefs that he stuck to. Unknown 5:03 But he was an amazing individual. Unknown 5:07 In along with Malcolm X, my father, Papa, and my brother, Chacho. Unknown 5:16 These three people helped to shape me. And yeah, I’m not I’m not going to cry or be emotional. I’m being honest here. I’m being totally, totally sincere. Malcolm X. Unknown 5:33 My father, my brother, Chacho, and a guy whom a Wisconsin and superior Wisconsin. He was from Buffalo, New York. I never knew his name. I only knew him as Buffalo. Unknown 5:50 He was an amazing person who also guided me through my process of trying to become a relevant black man. Unknown 6:01 Even though I was born in the Caribbean, in a Spanish speaking country, the Dominican Republic you say how many candles so your would you also sell Dominica known proud of being Dominican? I gotta tell you. Unknown 6:19 When you come to America, you can’t be straddling the fence. You can’t be on this side and that side, you got to decide a side and I decided to be a black man. Unknown 6:36 With that decision, the same is the decision for Robert Frost where he came upon a cross row on the road and he decided to choose the one that was less traveled by and it has made all the difference. I did not. I chose the row that had been traveled by my ancestors, the people that wrote the history and lost their lives in the process, while making sure that you are children and myself able to do what I’m doing right now. Unknown 7:29 I’m still a stout astounded by the fact that here is some kid born in the Caribbean, in the little island that split into between French speakers, and Spanish speakers. But here I am on the biggest thing and I represent all those entities. Unknown 8:00 Can you scale Yeah. Hispaniola, the entire Caribbean, Jamaica, Barbados, Latin America, all the people of the world who feel the same way I do. Unknown 8:17 And you know what that feeling is? Unknown 8:21 We have never been given the opportunity. Unknown 8:26 The black people in the brown people of the world, the yellow people, the colored people in the world. We have not been given the opportunity to truly exist and achieve and the only one that is missing out is the planet Earth. Unknown 8:51 Because if we were given the same equal opportunity we would definitely shine like a shining star. Earth, Wind and Fire This transcript was generated by https://otter.ai