june 12 2018, 11:03am

 

an open letter to boulder colorado

the city that has shaped me, for better or for worse

the city that has taught me the importance of activism and acceptance

the city that has taught me about money, exercise, and expensive cars

in this city, it’s impossible for anyone to see me as anything more than my skin tone and neighborhood.

the city know nothing about my mexican roots or my great great grandfather who came to america from china as a railroad laborer.

it knows nothing of my mother’s childhood, her poverty, her section 8 housing, her long walks to school everyday.

boulder knows nothing of racial diversity, class diversity, or sexual orientation.

outsiders look in and see a utopia of athleticism and prose

in my city no one stretches too far outside of the privileged straight white man mold.

 

ironic.

iconic.

ignorant maybe.

i am from a place the preaches acceptance

but fails to see the importance of acting upon your words

because acceptance is more than liking someones facebook post

or retweeting a tweet about raising money for trans at risk youth

 

what is acceptance?

when is it okay to use other people to boost yourself up and over personal societal roadblocks

when there are people who wake up and face oppression each and every day

and are disregarded by their own family members and peers around them

 

boulder has shaped who i am and who i want to be

boulder has taught me that actions speak louder than words

that when we speak about race, we should not try to erase it and be colorblind and instead acknowledge everyone and not eliminate their identity

and boulder? some advise if i can.

i want to be in a place where diversity is encourage, differences are celebrated, and resources are accessible to everyone.

 

thank you