ARMANDO SÁNCHEZ
Florida, 1945
I’m a drummer for a band.
I’m tired, so I sit in the middle
of the bus, not the back.
When someone tells me to move,
I refuse.
So what if I’m dark skinned,
and Cuban?
I’m American, too, with the right
to sit freely.
So I keep that seat
all the way to New York.
Sometimes staying in one place
is what it takes to move forward.