Dear Mom,
Every day you wake up, get dressed and go to work. You go to work where you don’t feel safe - as a woman and as a Puerto Rican. You go to work, where kids chant “Build a wall” as you walk down the hallway. You get up. You go to work where your colleagues openly gloat in your face about the election. But that's just it, you go to work. When your alarm goes off and I bet you want nothing more than to just turn it off and quit your job, you get up. You are the face of hope against adversity to your students who see themselves in you. They see how your last name is different and how you are outspoken against the injustices in world. The lipstick you put on is your shield and your smile is your weapon. You get up. But I fear for your mental health. Who will be there for you when you are feeling weary? Who will be there for you when you feel hopeless? You get up. I can’t thank you enough for instilling in me the knowledge that I do matter and that I have the ability to change the world. I get up with you. I stand beside you. Thank you for getting up everyday and facing the world that has not always been on your side.
Love,
Allie