By Erika Abad
For the last ten years, when faced with internal political and ethical frustrations about teaching, research and community advocacy on campus or in my hometown, Chicago, my correspondence withOscar López Rivera provides clarity. I write to him because, as I struggle with where I wanted to continue the legacy of those bridge builders that came before me, I need some grounding. I write to him because the most powerful boricua women around me are scholars and women political leaders who do not hold the political clout of the intellectual outsiders-looking-in or the male veterans who are the face and the voice of community work. I write to him because I need to remain connected to the political impetus that drives why I continue to work with Latino immigrants. I write to him because I need ground from which to bear in mind the greater context of my own frustrations, impatience and disillusionment with the way I am following my commitment to education and scholarly research. Continue reading.
