If you’re anything like me, you think it was so sweet of Bad Bunny to allow the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks to play in the 60th Super Bowl at his concert in San Fransisco, CA, this past Sunday. While I tuned in for the game (mostly due to my roommate’s homemade queso), what I was really looking forward to the “controversial” halftime show that had MAGA crying and scheduling their own flop of a halftime show, seeming to be in complete denial that a U.S. Citizen can be a native Spanish speaker and that Latin culture is in fact, a big part of what makes the United States the country that it is. Personally, I don’t speak Spanish, nor am I hispanic, but the show was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a long time, especially considering the terrifying political climate in our country today.Â
Featuring celebrities such as Alix Earle, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, and Ricky Martin, the show was nothing short of an absolute dance party. It’s as Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio MartĂnez Ocasio, said prior to his performance about individuals who didn’t know Spanish that were tuning into the show: “They don’t even have to learn Spanish. Better they learn to dance. There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.”Â
Throughout the performance, Ocasio did not shy away from showing off Puerto Rican culture. Notably, he handed his Grammy that he won for his album, DeBĂŤÂ TiRAR MáS FOToS, to a young boy who was watching his acceptance speech on a small television. The internet quickly ran with rumors that the boy was Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy taken into ICE custody on his way to school in Minneapolis, but it was actually a child actor named Liam Fox Ramadan, cast due to his similarity in appearance to Ocasio. Still, this symbolism can be taken as a message to support to both immigrants and Latinos living in the United States that, yes, it is possible to become successful, no matter where you come from.Â
The most notable part of the show, however, was the ending. With over 20 flags representing multiple countries across the western hemisphere, Ocasio yelled “God Bless America,” the only time he spoke English throughout his entire performance. Most Americans in the United States speak about “America” as just being the United States, while many Latin Americans view America as the collective western hemisphere. Although I am not Hispanic, and the family of mine who immigrated to the states came here over a hundred years ago, I see the closemindedness of those around me when it comes to embracing Latin culture as a major part of the United States and our culture, especially as the Trump administration has seemingly made it their mission to make people fear their roots.Â
That brings me to the billboard. Plain white, black text: “THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.” And that statement is so true, so important, yet we all seem to forget it. Without a doubt, the political climate in our country has made me angry for my friends who had to live in fear, for people like Renee Nicole Good who were brutally murdered on the streets for simply standing up for what they think is right, for the women and girls who were victim to Trump, Epstein, Musk, and others having to watch them destroy our country with no consequences for their abuses towards them or their political wrongdoings. I have been hateful for the past year.Â
At the end of the day, the best thing we can do is love our neighbors. Sunday was a celebration full of joy, the complete opposite of the agenda the Trump administration is trying to push against the Latin American community in our country. Continue the fight against fascism, but also see the beauty in things that they don’t want you to see the beauty in. Â