ABSTRACT
W h i I e t h I s b o o k is mostly a story of my Latino/ a students and their classmates, I thought it important to begin by recounting my high school experience-that initial moment which ignited my pursuit of a critical imagination. Though not fully realizing what I was doing at the time, not possessing the political language to articulate my behavior, it was during high school when I began to practice the essence behind the famous, historical slogan of the radical voices of Puerto Ricans and allies-in-arms who have stood up against the forces of colonial oppression in Puerto Rico and in the United States-to reclaim self-dignity and group culture: Despierta Boricua, Defiende La Tuyo (Wake Up Puerto Rican and Defend that which Belongs to You). This chapter borrows its name from the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican women and men and other Latinos/as who have dedicated their lives to the struggle of self and cultural valuation, and to the hundreds of thousands more who today are realizing the need to preserve their very rich history.
