Yo Soy Borica: Breaking Colonization’s Final Hold

This TEDx talk is a powerful reflection on identity, resistance, and cultural survival. Marielena Marroquin shares her personal journey as a Puerto Rican in the diaspora while unpacking the lasting impacts of colonization, assimilation, and erasure. Through storytelling, history, and pride, she invites audiences to reconsider what it means to belong—and why preserving culture is one of the most radical acts of resistance and civil disobedience. Marielena Marroquin is a cultural strategist, public policy advisor, and speaker rooted in Puerto Rican identity and community leadership. As Founder & CEO of Cultura Consultants KC and co-creator of KC Latina Book Club, she helps organizations turn community voice into culturally grounded policy and engagement. Her work blends storytelling, equity, and coalition-building to shape more just, joyful futures.

pictuer of me at TEDX
Two women, one with white hair and glasses, and the other with short dark hair, are engaged in conversation at an indoor event. Several other people are visible in the background.
Two women standing together indoors, smiling. The woman on the left has long dark hair and wears a black top with a long striped skirt with red roses. The woman on the right has shorter hair and wears a black cardigan over a patterned dress. Behind them is a white wall with posters and artwork, including a poster with a smiling woman, and a colorful circular artwork on the right.
pictuer of me at TEDX
Group of diverse women smiling and posing together in an indoor setting, some holding flowers and a water bottle.