Neighbors,
With profound sadness, I share the passing of Michelle Morales, a dear friend, mentor, and beloved member of the Puerto Rican community. If you didn’t know Michelle, watch my dedication to her.
Michelle is the mother of Xavier, who was raised in the movement and has played a significant role on my Barrio Services Team. There are no words, Xavi, and I hope for you an abundance of love and rest in the aftermath of this grueling journey.
Below is an excerpt from my contribution to a tribute book for Michelle that will be published soon.
I first encountered Michelle when I was 16 years old, still young and finding my way. Michelle was the coordinator of the National Boricua Human Rights Network, and I was excited about the work we were doing to bring our political prisoners home.
At that age, I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what it meant to be in movement. I didn’t yet understand how much courage, sacrifice, discipline, and hope it takes to dedicate your life to a struggle that may outlive you. But I knew Michelle. Her ability to be unapologetically and authentically herself gave me permission to become more authentically me.
We all know Michelle for her bold swagger, her presence, her voice, and the way she could command a room. I also knew Michelle as someone who would stop and take the time to answer a young person’s question. She would mentor young organizers and remind us that our work did not begin with us. She rooted us in history. She taught us to understand where we came from so that we could imagine where we were going. She dared us to dream. And, perhaps more importantly, she dared us to be brave enough to organize for those dreams.
As a young person, I often looked at Michelle and wondered how someone stays in movement for so long and still holds onto hope. How do we witness so much injustice, so many disappointments, so many battles – and still wake up believing that change is possible. Michelle did.
She reminded us that our struggle is a struggle in perpetuity. That we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. That the work we do today may not be finished in our lifetime, but that it still matters. That every conversation, every meeting, every young person we inspire, every neighbor we stand beside, every act of courage creates a ripple that reaches further than we may ever know.
I live my life and leadership carrying pieces of Michelle with me. I find myself channeling my inner Michelle – her courage, her conviction, her authenticity, her insistence that we keep going. Michelle probably never took credit for this. She never would. But the truth is that I am the leader and organizer today because I had the extraordinary privilege of watching Michelle Morales lead.
Leadership isn’t only what happens at a microphone, in a meeting, at a protest. It is how we show up for people. It is how we love. It is how we raise our children. It is how we make room for the next generation. It is how we leave people stronger, braver, and more hopeful than we found them. Michelle has done that for me, and I know she has done it for so many others.
Michelle is my Shero. And I am forever grateful that, at 16 years old, I had the privilege of finding her.
