Silvano Williams

Coming soon...

Let me start by saying that I was not a Bad Bunny fan. Not for any reason other than I haven't really sought out his music because I am extremely selective about reggaeton, and it takes me a while to appreciate new artists. Hell, I'm still discovering musicians from decades ago, so my lack of exposure is not an indictment of his art.

And I'll be honest — I know English more than Spanish now. I can speak and write Spanish, but my Spanish language education stopped in the 7th grade, when I moved to Houston from Puerto Rico and had to force myself to learn English fluently to avoid the passive racism and bullying. Even though Alief was a nice melting pot — Filipinos, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Salvadorians, and other Latin Americans — there weren't many Puerto Ricans there then. I had a problem with both languages, since my Spanish wasn't "normal" and my English was s**t.

I've often joked that I am a tourist no matter where I go, because I don't quite fit in anywhere. And I think that has kept me from having a rigid nationalist stance. I'm better off this way. It kept my perception open to recognize, appreciate, and stay curious about different cultures. I learned to enjoy and thrive in diversity.

But it is clear that a MINORITY in the US does not feel that way. And it is clear that this MINORITY is afraid of becoming obsolete — although there is no reason to be, unless your identity is built entirely on hate, division, bigotry, and weaponizing tolerance to claim the right to be toxic and prejudiced.

I capitalized MINORITY because it seems like a derogatory term for these people. Their messaging is often, "If you don't like it, get out," or "This is our country and you don't belong because you are not like us."

To say that there are racists amongst us, to point out how tribalism blinds us, is often dismissed as rhetoric — maybe even extremist. But it is a truth.

So what am I getting at?

I wish I had the words to tell those people to relax. To enjoy life. To stop worrying about being replaced. Because for most of us who enjoy the melding and marriage of cultures — who experiment by shedding our own comfort as a life experience to understand the person next to us a little better — this is how we grow as a successful society. It is what built the United States that the world once respected, and it should be what we strive for, because unity is the only way our lives become meaningful and give us something to remember fondly before we die.

We are all human. Wells of infinite emotional trauma and pain. But those aren't the vibes that move us forward. We all weep for the moments lost and reminisce about the good times, and I am sure those memories are often with the people who surround us — our loved ones, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.

I don't believe that espousing the lone wolf or sheltered individualism as strength creates happy memories — especially if the goal is to spout fear and hatred, or to claim superiority by pretending to have divine authority over others. That kind of thinking creates fear. It isolates people and stops them from enjoying being part of something bigger.

Now, back to what the word MINORITY evokes. In the US, it immediately paints a mental picture of brown folks. Non-whites. Poor and disadvantaged individuals who suffer. The word is derogatory, and that is why they lash out. No one wants to be labeled as "less than." And unfortunately, by definition, the word MINORITY says: "You are small, and you must follow — or else."

So how does any of this relate to Bad Bunny?

I didn't understand half the s**t he said in those songs. But I fully understood his message.

We are not the MINORITY. The descendants of African slaves, the nearly extinct Natives, and the colonizing Spanish and Portuguese are not a MINORITY in the world. Only in the small pockets of this country — where fear has caused violence against us, and where descendants of other European nations have espoused the notion that their blood holds more value because they sheltered themselves from others until they forgot how we achieved this country's success in the first place: by working together, not against each other.

The world made a statement last night. We are not the MINORITY. America is not just the United States. The flags that flew in his concert stood proudly and with integrity, and even as the US has taken a step backwards, its flag flew alongside the rest — because unity is the only way.

So my message to that vocal MINORITY that has risen in the past decade is simple:

You are afraid of cultures you don't know. And that fear is the only thing making you small.

This is my official stance, and if that bothers anyone that sees this... Good. If you are bothered, then I don't want you in my feed.

Regarding ICE: F**k this Gestapo bulls**t, and if you defend it, then you are the enemy of the people. You do not stand with me. My work is not for you.

WE ARE ALL DESCENDANTS OF IMMIGRANTS.

Stop acting like victims. You aren't affected by immigrants. You are helped by their hard labor and community.

All you are is discriminatory as****es living in privilege resenting others that have less than you because the billionaires making a business from human trafficking told you to feel a certain way. And you swallowed it like it was your stepdaddy's midnight visit.

Stop defending and supporting child rapists. Stop being disgusting Garbage Juice.

Stand up to this nonsense. All you have to do is allow a little empathy in your heart. No one is coming after you. No one wants to get rid of you. Those are your fears because that is what you would do. But you don't have to feel that way either. Fear has blinded you because it's easy.

F**king learn to co-exist already. How much more death and despair do we need to suffer through just to learn to live in peace and prosperity together?

The world is our community. Let's fu***ng learn to embrace it.