Bobby González: Multicultural Motivational Speaker, Storyteller and Poet

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to meet, if only briefly, Bobby González, multicultural motivational speaker, storyteller and poet. Again, while we only met briefly, I was left thinking greatly about a history which I know very little about but would love to learn. I decided to begin by purchasing Bobby's poetry book “The Last Puerto Rican Indian: A Collection of Dangerous Poetry." I was captivated by the poetry in this book, it was the motivation that I needed in order for me to research this history. I have since begun to take advantage of the suggested Taino reading list in the book.

The following is an excerpt of an article by Bobby. It provides the reader with a glimpse on Latinos and their indigenous ancestry.

The Native American Heritage of Latinos

By Bobby González

When most people hear the term ‘Native American’ they associate it with peoples of North America, i.e. nations such as the Cherokee, Apache, Navajo, etc. Most folks are stunned to learn that more than forty million indigenous peoples originate from Latin America. More than 90% of ‘Native Americans’ come from Central and South America and the Caribbean. The majority of the populations of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Guatemala are aboriginal. In Mexico more than fifty languages are spoken. One of these languages happens to be Spanish. The remainder are Native.........cont.