RESOURCES
There aren’t too many safe adults in Sarai’s story. I hope you have safe adults in your life who actively listen to you without judgement and who see and believe you when you tell them what you are experiencing. Here are some resources in case you don’t know any safe adults.
Crisis Text Line
Available 24/7
Support to all individuals in crisis
Text “HELLO” to 741741
www.crisistextline.org
SAMSHA
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Available 24/7
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
https://www.samhsa.gov/
The Trevor Project
Available 24/7
Confidential suicide hotline for LGBT youth
866-488-7386
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Therapy For Black Girls
Online resource directory of therapists dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
https://therapyforblackgirls.com/
Therapy For Latinx
Online resource directory of therapists dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Latinx people.
National Domestic Violence
Available 24/7
Supports individuals who are experiencing domestic violence
Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
http://www.thehotline.org/
National Suicide Hotline
Available 24/7
1-800-273-8255
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Child HELP USA National Hotline
Available 24/7
1-800-4-A-CHILD
(1-800-422-4453)
http://www.childhelpusa.org/
National Teen Dating Violence Hotline
Available 24/7
Questions or concerns about dating relationships
1-866-331-9474
Text “loveis” 22522
http://www.loveisrespect.org
The Anti-Violence Project
Support for individuals who have suffered violence
Hotline 212-714-1124
http://www.avp.org
National Sexual Assault Hotline
Available 24/7
Supports victims of sexual assault, LGBT-inclusive
1-800-656-HOPE 24/7 or
Online Counseling at www.rainn.org
National Runaway Switchboard
Available 24/7
Confidential hotline supports runaway youth for safety
800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)
www.1800RUNAWAY.org
Trans Lifeline
Available 24/7
Hotline staffed by volunteers who are all trans-identified and educated in the range of difficulties transgender people experience
U.S. (877) 565-8860
Canada (877) 330-6366
http://www.translifeline.org
POEMS IN CONVERSATION
The poem “Can I Be Puerto Rican?” is in conversation with: Nuyorican Poet Mariposa’s “Ode to the Diasporican”
The poem “The War on Roaches” is in conversation with Lucille Clifton’s “Cruelty”
The poem “How We Got Our Names: Raid” is in conversation with Pedro Pietri’s “Suicide Note From a Cockroach in a Low Income Project”
The poem “If Being Boricua in Bushwick is a Feeling—It’s the Best Kind” is in conversation with Jacqueline Woodson’s “Bushwick History Lesson”
The poem “Ask Me Anything Day with Ms. Rivera” is in conversation with Sandra Cisneros’s “Those Who Don’t”
The poem “The Daily News Says” is in conversation with Nikki Giovanni’s “Nikki-Rosa”
The poem “Things We Don’t Talk About: Color” is in conversation with Fortunato Vizcarrondo’s “¿Y tu agüela, aonde ejtá?”
The poem “The Apartment on Troutman Street” is an homage to Sandra Cisneros’s “The House on Mango Street”
The poem “Your Silence Will Not Protect You” is an homage to Audre Lorde’s essay, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elisabet Velasquez is a Boricua writer born in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Her work has been featured in Muzzle Magazine, Winter Tangerine, Latina Magazine, We Are Mitú, Tidal and more. She is a 2017 Poets House fellow and the 2017 winner of the Button Poetry Video Contest. Her work is featured in Martín Espada's anthology What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump. Elisabet lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, and When We Make It is her debut novel.
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