I am Colon! -A response to the negative and unjust representation of Colon by Juan and Raphael Williams - EgbertoWillies.com

9.6.17

I am Colon! -A response to the negative and unjust representation of Colon by Juan and Raphael Williams - EgbertoWillies.com: Poverty-yes, unemployment-yes, lack of resources-yes, lack of policies that can improve the living conditions of the people-yes, educational concerns-yes, crime- yes, and racial issues-yes. We know all of this but unless you have lived it with us, through the good and the bad, then you are in no position to speak about our reality. Every country has a “ghetto”, to label an entire Province as such is an insult to our rich history, a legacy built on strength and most important to the people.

These streets nurtured great leaders, thinkers, teachers, athletes, Judges, Ministers, fire fighters, poets, writers, doctors and nurses. These streets sing we are resilient. That is our Colon, the place with two sides. You may leave Colon physically but it never leaves you mentally. A person who left as a child and never looked back cannot see the Colon through eyes of truth. Panama was not under a dictatorship 60 years ago. Colon’s rise and many may say its demise has many layers but you will need a historical context that includes colonialism, denial of the government, and the end of a segregated era.