Anthony Otero
Cultural Blogger
Anthony Otero was born on June 12, 1974 in the Bronx. His parents are both second generation Latinos that grew up in New York City. Otero grew up in the 1980's, where Otero witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, the birth of the Hip Hop culture, and the emergence of the era of greed.
A graduate of Syracuse University, college was a place Otero discovered his identity. While he always identified as Latino, Otero never knew what that really meant. His dark complexion would make anyone think that he was African American. He realized that his identity was fluid in nature since he can live in both worlds and not be accepted in either. It would take him years to figure out his place in the world.
Otero started his first blog in 1999 called "A-bomb's World". It was an amateur's attempt to write about life in New York City. Otero wrote for a few years and took it down at some point. Otero was there during September 11, 2001 during the World Trade Center disaster. Otero was lucky to be uninjured and it was then that Otero chose to leave New York City. He was offered a job at Syracuse University shortly and Otero moved, taking his girlfriend with him.
They married in June of 2002 and decided to follow every couple's dream of owning a home in 2003. Soon after, life seemed to repeat itself as his marriage began to fall apart like it did for his parents. Otero created the current version of his blog entitled "Inside My Head" in 2009. Anthony realized that he stopped doing the one thing that really defines him: writing.
Otero came to terms with his identity. Being one of few Latino administrators at Syracuse, he became an advisor to many Latino students. Otero also helped create the Latino Heritage Month celebrations that still occur today. Otero took graduate courses in Cultural Foundations of Education and finally understood that what it means to be Afro-Latino after soul searching through research papers.
TThis new found awareness is seen in his short stories, poems, and blog entries that were based on pent up emotions that he have had for years. Otero expressed himself in such a way that words poured out. It felt like his mind was once closed and writing has opened it up. His blog has been a tale of his journey through marriage to divorce and identity that Otero calls "the road to personal redemption".
After working at Syracuse for nine years, his desire is to move back home to New York City.
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