Meet Teresa Rivera…

My name is Teresa Rivera and there is literally no way I could fit myself into a few paragraphs; but here we go! 

I am a proud afroBoricua-Caribbean kid, born and raised in the Bronx.  I am the product of my mother and my tias.  Through my mother I learned about the importance of community and advocacy.  And through my tias I learned about the power of my ancestry and my voice.  

When seeking financial opportunities, I found myself in spaces similar to the ones I grew up.  Spaces where I was able to help young people navigate their world through teaching them how to advocate for themselves and their community.  I discovered a love for educating and decided to continue doing what I loved, I had to go to learn even more.

That’s why I am a proud CUNY kid.  I completed my first two years at Hostos where I was able to find my true passion as a scholar, which was in Black Studies.  I continued my education at CCNY where I double majored in Black Studies and Latin American Studies.  

Around this time, I realized what my community needed most.  Young people need access to their true history.  On my journey of self-education,  I read Prisoners of Colonialism by Ronald Fernandez.  Like many Puerto Ricans, I cried over those pages-yet was filled with immense pride.  In the words of mi tia, Mariposa, “A Boricua mind transformed and a butterfly was born”.  I felt like all this knowledge was erased, hidden and inaccessible to my community.  I made it my duty to bring the knowledge to the people.  I believe in sankofa, learning from the past.  In 2019, I began hosting workshops on Puerto Rican history.  My goal is to be able to provide my community with the information that is needed to decolonize our minds.

So in conclusion, I believe in the independence of Puerto Rico and all colonized lands. I love creating spaces for womxn of color.  I hate racist, sexist, homophobes, capitalists and people who are complacent in ignorance. I am a lover and a fighter.  I am an anti-social, social butterfly.  I’m a community educator, advocate, scholar, facilitator, and public speaker.  But above all these things. I am simply me. Here on this Earth to learn and love those who cross my path. And “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you do not see” (James Baldwin)