Julia de Burgos is one of the most prominent Afro-Latina poets and an advocate for Puerto Rican independence and social justice. Julia de Burgos was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1914 to a German father—a farmer and a member of the Puerto Rico National Guard—and an Afro-Puerto Rican mother. De Burgos far exceeded the expectations for women at the time when she earned a teaching degree at just 19-years old. She rose to prominence in the political scene as general secretary of the Frente Unido Femenino (Daughters of Freedom)—the female-led branch of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Through this position, De Burgos delivered rousing speeches, wrote letters, and protested in support of political movements in Puerto Rico. Her first poetry collection came in 1938 entitled “Poema en veinte surcos”; her second volume the following year—and her last—”Canción de la verdad sencilla”, earned her a Puerto Rican literary prize. After relocating to New York in 1940, she continued her writing as...