It seems inadequate to have just one person talk about why Pamela is such a badass. Her friends, the people she has lifted and mentored into movement work, her niece and nephews, parents and grandparents and other family; any one of them could tell you what a deep and indelible impact Pamela has made and continues to make in their lives. She's a force and those of us who love her or get to work or spend time with her know this.
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She's shown me new, different ways of understanding things, and I think that's one of her gifts. She fights against my stubbornness to get me to see that care is important in justice work, that we must be willing to care for ourselves and each other and enjoy life and the world around us even as we also sacrifice and work hard to radically transform it. Pamela knows who she is and she is unwavering in this knowledge. She reaches deep into her roots to find her characteristic strength when she's organizing or leading a meeting or a rally: she is an Afro-Taina-Dominican warrior from Quisqueya.
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I'm always impressed at how she will fiercely yet constructively hold people accountable on their anti-Blackness and other oppressive ideas and attitudes, from her own close family members to casual acquaintances. She's a badass, caring individual with a huge, loving heart and I'm lucky to know and love her and we're all lucky to have her organizing and fighting alongside us.
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Marc Rodrigues
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