This is my great uncle, Richie,’s Shakespeare collection. He loved Shakespeare and had a passion for writing and poetry. Since I’ve been finding my own passion for Shakespeare, it’s nice to share it with a family member. When he died in 1991 of AIDS, my great-grandparents were so ashamed of it that they told people he’d moved to Florida instead of the truth. Now, my family is much more accepting, and my sister is even partially named after him. He didn’t live a very happy life and wasn’t always made to feel welcome in the family,  so it’s nice to remember him and to know that my dads are, and to know that he would be now and that we remember him and his life. Now, when I read his Shakespeare collection, I think of him and the life he could have lived. He is part of the missing generation of older queer people that died in the 80s and 90s, so to know that so much progress has been made since then is comforting. It’s always a little bittersweet to think about, and my grandmother is still mourning the loss of her brother and the life he should have lived. He also helped found the Nuyorican Poets Café (even though we are not Puerto Rican), which was an influential space in the world of NYC poetry and created a platform for LGBTQ and Puerto Rican poets. He left behind a legacy in the world of poetry, and a few years ago our family was surprised to find his photo in the New York Times in an article about the Poets Cafe. 

– NS-C

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant