Selena Huapilla-Perez
Selena Huapilla-Perez is a senior at Michigan State University from a small agricultural town in southwest Florida called Immokalee. She is majoring in Interdisciplinary Humanities with a Double Minor in Chicano/Latino Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL). She currently holds national positions with The Steve Fund (TSF), The American Association of University Women (AAUW), and the Latinas on Fast Track (LOFT) Program with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Selena is also heavily involved on her campus and in her community and works to serve as a change agent and resource for People of Color, specifically the Latinx community!
14
I am Brown
Congratulations to sister Selena Huapilla-Perez on recently publishing her poem I am Brown on Watermelaninmag.com. Watermelanin is an independent literary magazine that is produced by artists of color for artists of color and the readers who support them. Below is just a sample of Selena's poem. To read the complete piece click here.
I am Brown
Brown like el Desierto.
Brown like el Rio Bravo.
Brown like el Pan de cada dia.
Brown like the radical Brown Berets.
Brown like the hands that harvest this land,
the very hands that harvested me.
I am Brown,
Brown like my father’s skin,
after 48 years under the sun.
Brown like my mami saying:
“Vas a ver cuando lleguemos a la casa”
and “Comete toda la comida, que aqui no es restaurante”
Brown like my abuelitos wrinkled cheeks.
Brown like La Virgencita de Guadalupe,
to whom my abuelita always prays.
Read the whole piece in all its beauty here