To my surprise, I entered the classroom to a warm roar of applause by the students! Waves of both hand clapping as well as banging their hands on their desk resonated the classroom. This was a DOPE crowd of kiddos! We opened with a good 10-15 minute Q & A session. 

The first question was from a young man in the back of the classroom who asked excitedly “Where are you from?” To which I replied “Where am I from, meaning what’s my ethnicity?” He said “Yes”. I replied that I was of Puerto Rican descent. The students began to both clap and gasp in aww. It was in that moment where I faintly heard my ancestors whispering in my ears “Representation Matters”. There were many other questions from the group such as “What countries have you been to?” “How many buses do you own?”, “How old are you?” and one of my favorites “Are you rich?” I chuckled “I am far from rich.” 

The classroom I read to was made up of an ethnic rainbow. It became clear to me that these students (while listening and asking questions) were watching of a reflection of not only themselves, but their parents, their aunts, their cousins, etc. Representation Matters.