Luis Javier Rodriguez

On Monday, May 17, the US Supreme Court ruled that juveniles could not be given life sentences for crimes that did not involve murder or the intent to murder. So far 129 young people in various states—77 in Florida alone—were caught in such horrendous sentences, declared “cruel and unusual” by the highest court. But the laws were in the books in 37 states and the District of Columbia as well as federal law. These have now been struck down. Human rights activists from around the world have long decried the terrible price the United States makes youth offenders pay, the only industrial country to continue to try youth as adults as well as sentence them to life sentences. Five years ago in Roper v. Simmons, the US Supreme Court struck down the death penalty for juvenile offenders—again at the time the United States was the only major country to have juvenile death sentences. These are all steps forward. I’m particularly pleased with the recent ruling since my story was among several stories from youth offenders who later become well-known actors, politicians, writers, and athletes. These stories were submitted last November in an Amicus Brief to the Graham v. Florida case that the Supreme Court ruled on last Monday. As my friend Jody Kent of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth stated, “(Monday’s ruling) is a significant reaffirmation by the Court that youth are fundamentally different than adults and should be held accountable in an age-appropriate way… the court reiterated that psychological and scientific developments continue to support the notion that ‘because juveniles have lessened culpability they are less deserving of the most severe punishments.’ ” There is, of course, more work to be done. The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth continues to insist that no young person, even those who have committed capital crimes, should be put away for good. There are still 2,500 people who are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for crimes committed when they were juveniles. I support their efforts. For more information, please go to www.endjlwop.org. c/s

The drive to San Diego from the San Fernando Valley last Tuesday was smooth on a beautiful Southern California day. Trini and I were on our way to downtown to be part of the 41st Annual Conference of the Juvenile Court, Community and Alternative School Administrators of California. I keynoted the next day’s luncheon, speaking to people who work with the kids that nobody else will work with. They are the last line of mentoring adults who can help turn a young person’s life around. My talk, with engaging dialogue from the audience, was well received—I addressed the value of not giving up, of relationships over rules, of high expectations and high patience. The next day, I re-visited the San Diego County Juvenile Hall. I drove up with Roberto “Beto” Carrillo and Anthony Limoges, principals of juvenile court schools in the county. They are hard working and caring men—Mr. Limoges even co-wrote a book with Dr. Monte Selby called Bricks and Bridges: Bridging the Gap to At-Risk Youth from Incentive Publications I entered the maximum-security section where I addressed around twenty young men, a few of them having been convicted as adults or facing adult sentences. One young man, I believe age 15, had already been given forty years to life. He will be in juvenile facilities until 18, then transferred to an adult prison. Prior to this, I did get a chance to say hello to a small group of young women—females are the fastest growing juvenile prison population in the state. The women were preparing for sports when I entered their cubicle area. A few had read my book “Always Running” and seemed honored to meet me. I wanted to pay my respects and wished them well. I had a rich and powerful talk with the young men—their questions were smart and insightful. Most had read my book. Again, I talked about the purposeful, meaningful life they must seek, no matter where they are. I talked about the possibilities for change, healing, redemption, from my own life, but also the lives of young people I’ve worked with for around forty years. I also talked about my son Ramiro, who just finished thirteen years in prison, but changed his life while incarcerated—he’s slated to be released this July. I appreciated all those who helped make this happen. Trini and I enjoyed San Diego—as in the past—very much. Last Friday, I also addressed students from Watts, Gardena, San Gabriel Valley, and other communities in the Youth Build Charter Schools who managed a field trip to Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural. For the past three years or so, I’ve talked to about two schools a month from all over who’ve arranged for buses or rides to bring students to our cultural space and bookstore. They’ve come from East LA, Pomona, Long Beach, Orange County—we even had a school from Oakland come twice. While I also speak in schools throughout the area, I have to charge a fee. But with current budget crunches, this is the next best option. I won’t charge to speak at Tia Chucha’s, the only costs being the buses and, I hope, for students to walk out with a book in their hands. I have to say, as always, the Youth Build students were respectful and challenging with their questions. On Saturday, May 15, I was at the Defending Seeds Collective meeting at Tia Chucha’s. This is a group of young leaders from Sylmar High School and alumni. They are part of the Sylmar Neighborhood Partnership and a new community-school prevention and intervention initiative at the school. They have prepared plans and a power-point presentation for a community conference, led by the youth, to address issues of drugs, HIV, cancer, diet, teen pregnancy, and more. My fifteen-year-old son Luis, a student of the Humanitas Academy at Sylmar High, is also involved. Then around 1 PM, I took part at a “Peace in the Northeast” Community March and Rally in Highland Park. The Northeast LA area is one of the most violent communities in the city. I was a speaker among bands, rap groups, preachers, youth, parents, and more who addressed the audience from the stage at Sycamore Grove Park. All around us were tents with community service providers and food vendors. The march started at Luther Burbank Middle School, ending up at the park. I’m proud to say my nephew, Pastor Ezra La Turco, was one of the main organizers. He is a strong Christian man who brought his wife and three children to the rally—he’s expecting another child soon. Victory Outreach and other Christian groups were key members of the organizing team. While my spiritual practices are in Native American and Native Mexican traditions, I’ve worked with Catholics and Evangelicals on peace and gang intervention efforts for years. Anyone who knows me understands I’ve reached out across spiritual traditions so that we can bring our energies towards real and lasting peace in our neighborhoods. I’m glad that the organizers could see how active I’ve been in the spiritual awakening of our communities—and that for peace and the wellbeing of our children, youth, and families we can find spaces of unity and collective action. And later I keynoted a ceremony honoring the Latino graduates at nearby Occidental College. My friends from the band Ollin entertained a large number of parents and family of these graduates, who also shared a Mexican meal and cake. I’ve done a few commencement and keynote talks for college graduates over the years. I generally have to say that I never graduated from college, that my failure to do so only underscores my respect for those young people who struggled hard, against great odds, to obtain their degrees. My family was a working class family of a generation in which higher education was not always valued. Of my father’s eight children and more than thirty grandchildren, only my daughter Andrea finished college. This is not to put my family or others like them down—again, this was not pushed as much in my time, although never discouraged. Yet I’ve achieved a modicum of recognition in the writing world. From my standpoint, I encourage as many young people as possible to get a strong college and/or university foundation. I had to work extra hard, wait longer, and jump more hurdles because I lacked the proper credentials. I also emphasized to the graduates that no degree is as important as the agreement they must make with themselves to live out the lives they were meant to live. This is about meeting the demands of their destinies, their dreams, their purposes. That this primary agreement should be to live out the story that was written on their souls before they were born. Colleges and universities—you can’t beat them for preparing one to achieve levels of competence in any field deemed necessary. But the real aim of any young person should be to eventually do what they love, what their heart tells them, what gratifies their souls, to work in areas where they have the most passions. c/s

Cinco de Mayo has become a de-facto US holiday, more so than in many parts of Mexico. Except, of course, Puebla. It was May 5, 1862 when the defenders of Puebla, led by a young Mexican general, Ignacio Zaragoza, including with Native peasants armed with machetes and bows & arrows, defeated a larger and better-equipped French army. At the time, the French had the world’s mightiest military force. They came across the vast Atlantic Ocean with England and Spain to recuperate millions of dollars in loans owed by a Mexican government that had fought in the US invasion of 1946-48 and a bloody civil war between Conservative and Liberal forces (the Conservatives, in fact, obtained most of these loans to fight the Liberals, although they eventually lost). President Benito Juarez negotiated terms with England and Spain, which left Mexico and returned back to Europe. But Napoleon III, Emperor of France, had other plans. He refused the negotiated agreements and began the invasion of Mexico. The French had not lost a battle in fifty years until the Battle of Puebla. The invasion continued, however, with the French sending battleships and tens of thousands of more soldiers. They eventually captured Mexico City and in 1864 installed an Austrian Duke as Mexico’s first Emperor, Maximilian, beholden to Napoleon III. But Mexican forces united and battled the French, lead by Zapotec native—and Mexican President—Benito Juarez. Along with US pressure after its Civil War, the French finally left Mexico by 1867. One significant outcome was the removal of French aid to the Confederate Army due to the Mexicans keeping the French under fire during their short regime. Napolean III had imperial plans tied to his Mexican invasion. Thwarted, the US was able to continue its war to preserve the union, remove slavery from its shores, and eventually defeat the rebel nation. So, in my view, it’s good that the US celebrates Cinco de Mayo. It’s a shame though that we still face anti-Mexican (which is really anti-Native) sentiment in places like Arizona with its just signed SB 1070. This bill obligates local police to act as federal agents in stopping Mexican-looking people to see if they are authorized to be in this country. Those under scrutiny include Central Americans and other Native-looking Latinos, since most racists don’t know the difference. Believe me, this is not meant for Europeans, Canadians, and non-Native looking peoples. This profiling has already been going on for a long time, particularly in Maricopa County where Sheriff Joe Arpaio has targeted thousands of people he deems as “illegal.” All statements to the contrary are hollow with the long history of profiling Mexicans and Central Americans for stops, arrests, and deportations. Am I wrong? Just look at the counter-protests last week, far fewer in number than the protestors against SB 1070. The counter protestors were mostly white. Some had signs that read: “Boycott Mexico,” “Remember the Alamo,” and more. The governor says racial profiling will not be tolerated—then why hasn’t she spoken out against Sheriff Arpaio and those counter protestors? We are not fooled. We must overturn this law. We must bring dignity to the debate. We must not let this become a racially divisive issue. I must also write about a wonderful visit I had last week in Kansas City. In the 1990s when I lived in Chicago, I often flew or drove into Kansas City to speak, read poetry, conduct workshops. I took part in annual “Culture Under Fire” weeks. I worked among the homeless, restless youth, Native American communities, and, of course, the barrio. I visited schools, colleges, universities, bars, cafes, libraries, and more. I once read at the world famous Grand Emporium, where the best bands in the US and other parts of the world once played. Unfortunately, it’s now closed. This time the Latino Writers Collective invited me. The Collective is housed at the famous Writers Place. Linda Rodriguez, a founder (and I’m proud to say, a Tia Chucha Press author), arranged for my visit, which included a community gathering at the Guadalupe Cultural Center and a reading/talk at the main Plaza Library. The first night I took part in a dinner on my behalf and witnessed a spontaneous poetry/fiction reading at the Writers Place. I also managed a couple of media interviews, including with Angela Elam of New Letters on the Air and “Hispanic News.” A few of my old friends from my previous visits came around, although it’s been ten years since I last came to Kansa City. I also met many new friends and supporters. Most interesting was meeting students from the Alta Vista Academy, a barrio charter school that has a 90 percent graduation rate in an area with longstanding drop out rates of around 70 percent. It turns out this school was created after I met with community leaders and teachers to address the drop out issue. This was twenty years ago. Apparently I had a hand in the founding of this amazing school. I was so proud to meet students, teachers, and administration from Alta Vista. I’ve spoken in so many places, hundreds of communities, addressing similar issues, and it’s hard for me to remember all my talks—or what may be the end results. The development of Alta Vista Academy is one example of how seeds get planted, and one may not know the full outcome of throwing such seeds out into the world. Of course, the real founders/heroes are the ones who created the school, kept it going, and the students who have chosen to succeed against great odds. One of the young people at that meeting twenty years ago was an 18-year-old troubled youth named Chato Villalobos. Mentors and teachers helped save Chato from a life of gangs and drugs. After he heard me speak, he became active in forming Alta Vista. Moreover, he joined the police force, one of the few of Mexican descent. Over the years Mr. Villalobos has helped transform the police department to be more open and respectful in the Mexican community. And he has helped many young people turn their lives around by his own interventions and mentoring. He’s a true model of what a community-based police officer should be like—his family still lives in the barrio and he’s vested in ensuring the safety and betterment of his community. It was great to return to Kansas City, to interact with poets and storytellers in the Latino Writers Collective, but also to meet active leaders in the libraries, schools, police department, and community. My talk with the students was most valuable to me. Given the resources, with people like Chato and the Latino Writer Collective, these youth can tap into their great capacities to make wonderful, important, and healthy choices. c/s

One of East LA’s most celebrated educators, Jaime Escalante, passed away March 30 in Reno, Nevada from complications of cancer. Mr. Escalante, the former Garfield High School teacher, proved that supposedly “unteachable” Chicano students could excel given high expectations, high patience, and perseverance in providing them the right skills. The 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver,” starring Edward James Olmos, dramatized the important impact of Escalante’s persistence as a math teacher to prove no child has to be “left behind” if they are respected, challenged, and given the human-to-human resources that good teachers provide in the classroom. Mr. Escalante, a native of Bolivia, came to the US at age 33 without knowing English. He was already an accomplished science and math teacher in his country, but he returned to school to master English and become a certified California teacher. I’ve had a history with Garfield High—as Mecha Central organizer in Eastside schools in the early 1970s (when I met my first wife, a Garfield alumni)—and later as a speaker to students there and other schools over the years. Most recently, I’ve taken part in community partnership meetings surrounding the new Esteban Torres High School that is supposed to draw around 400 to 500 students from the overcrowded Garfield campus (and other local campuses). A few months ago, we were asked by the creators of teacher-community pilot schools to bring Tia Chucha’s Cultural Center & Bookstore to the new campus. East LA currently has no bookstore for the close to 200,000 people of the unincorporated areas (and around 500,000 to a million people if we include the other Eastside mostly Mexican/Central American communities of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno, Highland Park, among others). As part of LA Unified School District’s Public Choice process, Esteban Torres High School will be home to five teacher-created pilot schools—the East LA Performing Arts Academy, the Humanitas Academy of Art & Technology, the Social Justice Leadership Academy, the Renaissance Academy of Urban Planning and Design, and the Academy of Engineering. Support for the design teams came from the Humanitas initiative at Los Angeles Education Partnership. LAUSD School Board finally accepted this proposal—although much work still has to be done. This is something to celebrate. The community partners include Inner-City Struggle, which has fought for years for the new school, Pan American Bank, Bienvenidos (which plans to build a wellness health and mental health clinic), East LA Classic Theater, the LA Education Partnership, as well as Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore. Plans to open the school in the fall have moved forward, although the bookstore/cultural space component may not happen for another year or two. I also need to note that Tia Chucha’s on Sunday, March 28, celebrated our 8th anniversary at our Sylmar site. Around 300 to 400 people came through throughout the day. The Young Warriors, our youth empowerment project, provided certificates and stipend checks to about ten young people from middle schools and high schools nearby for taking part in a two-month workshop curriculum sessions at Tia Chucha’s. We had Danza Azteca (including workshop participants, lead by Monique), Son Jarocho music (from our workshops, lead by Mapache), and a drumming circle that included workshop students. There was also an Open Mic that brought poets, performance poets, guitarists, singers, and others to the stage. In the end, Trini read her poem and both Trini and I gave thanks to all those who came to celebrate our “dream of community empowerment”—Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore. We should also celebrate that on March 31, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring March 31 as a national holiday honoring Cesar Chavez. This is long time coming and much deserved. And Trini and I celebrated twenty years of marriage on March 31 with a nice dinner downtown accompanied by my brother-in-law Tony Cardenas, LA City Councilperson, and his wife Norma and their children as well as our two boys (and a couple of significant others). c/s

They were twenty-seven high school students from all over California who had memorized the works of poets such as Langston Hughes, Allen Ginsberg, Billy Collings, Gwendolyn Brooks, Marge Piercy, Phyllis Wheatley, Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, and many others… three read a poem by Maurice Kilwein Guevara that elicited a few laughs (“Dona Josefina Counsels Dona Concepcion Before Entering Sears”). Even Shakespeare and Elizabeth I were represented. They were part of the high school poetry recital competition “Poetry Out Loud,” sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the California Poets In The Schools, and Target—and held at the State Capitol building in Sacramento on March 15. I served as one of four judges—the others were Cathy Barber, Adam Hubbard, and Al Young (former California Poet Laureate).  I had previously served as a National Poetry Out Loud judge in Washington DC over the past couple of years. I truly love to see young people embody other people’s poems, making them their own, with their particular inflections and affectations. While many of these participants may not end up as professional poets, a few read the night before in Sacramento their own original works, indicating that poetry making is strong in many of these young people. Reciting poetry—almost a lost art until former NEA Director Dana Goia in 2006 helped resurrect this on a national scale with “Poetry Out Loud”—is a powerful way to get into poetry, into words, lines, images, and layers of meaning. It was my pleasure to take part, although at this level of competition it was extremely difficult to demarcate the differences. All the reciters were wonderful, engaging. They represented schools from diverse California counties. With two rounds from each competitor, the final five chosen were given a third round to determine the winner—who will then go to the national finals at the end of April, competing with representatives from all fifty states. Finally—after scoring that involved tenths of a number differences between the final five reciters—Morgan Brown of Monterey County was declared winner of the 2010 California Poetry Out Loud Competition. My congratulations go to Ms. Brown, her family, and her school. I also got a chance to hang with Lucero Arellano and Josie Talamantez of the California Arts Council, who showed me their offices and introduced me to many of the fine people who help keep arts alive in the state. My thanks to all those who invited me to take part. Reading poetry out loud is another vital dimension of poetry interaction. When I was small, my mother a few times recited back Spanish-language poems she learned in Mexico as a little girl. This is called declamacion. I’m convinced it was one of the factors that drew me to love the power of words, in all languages, and to eventually see poetry as one of my life’s callings. c/s

I was fortunate to read poems at the wonderful cultural space and gallery called "Corazon del Pueblo" in the heart of Boyle Heights' new Arts Corridor on First Street. The poetry reading was held last Saturday, March 6 as part of the opening reception for "Mujeres de Juarez: Siempre Presente!" Other poets who read were Olivia Chumacero, Gloria E. Alvarez, Felicia Montes, and Xitlalic Guijosa. The artists featured on the walls were, according to the bill, Joanna Aquirre, Lalo Alcaraz, Anna Alvarado, Grace Barraza-Vega, Joe Bravo, Hector Calderon, Yamilette Duarte, Linda Estrada, Emilia Garcia, Claudia Garcia Trejo, Sandra Gonzalez, Mary Nunez Delira, Raul Herrera, Jeanette Iskat, Kristy Lovich, Jose Lozano, Eduardo Moreno, Antonio Sorcini, Gisel Vincent-Osuna, and Arturo Urista. The place was packed, no seating, and despite the rain. This is a good sign in LA, which often shuts down when a few drops fall (sorry about that--I spent fifteen years in Chicago so I know about bad weather). Anyway, I had a great time. My recent visit to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico also included talks with a leader of the fight against the "Femicides," a woman who lost her own 14-year-old daughter. There are now more than 600 young women killed or disappeared since 1993. This exhibit and poetry reading was to affirm our commitment to stop the murders of our women and to continue bringing attention to these deaths that have also been occurring in Chihuahua, Mexico; Guatemala; and other places of poor and abandoned people. I was also honored to present a poem by a new poet on the scene—self named Matriz—who first read at Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural's Open Mic the day before. She is part of a women's writing circle at Tia Chucha's. The women were asked to provide poems for a gathering next Saturday, March 13, 2010, known as the 3rd annual Policy con Pan Dulce. Here community members are invited to engage with local elected officials on key social, economic, and political issues. This event is sponsored by Initiating Change in Our Neighborhoods/Community Development Corporation and is being held in Sylmar, CA. I must also disclose, in full transparency, that Matriz is the pen name of my companera Maria Trinidad Rodriguez—we celebrate 22 years of marriage this month. There is now a complex of poets at my house since both my sons at home, Ruben and Chito, as well as Ruben's girlfriend Katrina, are grand poets (as are my daughter Andrea, my son Ramiro, and at least three of my four grandchildren). As I've said many times before: Poets are Everywhere and Everyone is a Poet. Here’s the poem by Matriz. Enjoy: policy of sweet bread for the hungry heart asked to voice our knots, display our tangles present them in beauty, fit for the public a contradiction, a delicate artful challenge thus this attempt, holding close the interest of we bombarded by so much sensation, news of abuse shooters erupt, thirst blazing, wrinkled with fears uterus empty of mothering, broken warrior gone wild loss felling children, uniformed walls, all distant relatives tired, bones witness the gathering day workers storm weary, business suits fit to neglect needs angry, skeletons fed on promises of better tomorrow self-medicated, sick of bankruptcies, graduation job lies so the marchers emerge, demanding rights to knowledge, to health, to be spectators no more expecting a world to transform, to allow worth in this lifetime together pounding the pavement, lifting spirits to the sky listen to the prayer of a nation humbled by mistakes embrace and brace for changes, expect this once and for all rely on the wealth of the creative, let it flow into every gap reject addictions rooted in usurped authority, robbed power Mother Earth waits for her children to grasp their lesson that there are natural laws greater than the toys of man that a well being is measured by dignity beyond its own that the abundance we seek is already in our midst so be wise, responsive: there's only enough time to align c/s

On Saturday evening, February 27, I jumped on a plane from El Paso, Texas to Los Angeles. I got home safely and in good spirits. Earlier I had crossed one of three international bridges from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso with my bags, accompanied by my new friend and organizer, Juan Pablo, of the US Consulate. On Thursday of last week, I held three separate discussions at the consulate’s community room—the first with Fundacion Comunitaria de la Frontera Norte, including donors and community leaders with a talk on “A Pathway to Authentic Community.” The second with community organizers and youth leaders called “Conflict Management Training: Breaking the Cycle with Dignity.” And the third with youth leaders and activists on “Creating Community in Violent Times.” I can’t begin to tell you how engaging these talks and dialogues turned out. The people in Ciudad Juarez have been withstanding an extraordinary amount of violence for decades, but more so in the past three years. Last year around 4,000 were killed in a city of 1.2 million. This alone was greater than El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras respectively (with 6 million, 15 million, and 7 million people in each country—I’ve been to those countries where violence is extreme and painful). Like somebody wrote on my Facebook page, this was like crawling out of a weeklong sweat lodge, in deep desperation and darkness, yet emerging renewed and hopeful. There is much hardness, fear, and even helplessness to get through in order to bring out the great capacities for change that is intrinsic in the poorest and most devastated communities. Through these dialogues we found the energy needed to begin on a new path, with new imaginations and new ideas. I shared a number of my books, in particular my memoir “La Vida Loca” and the nonfiction summary of forty years I’ve had working with violent and broken communities, “Hearts & Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times.” I also shared the “Community-Based Gang Intervention Guidebook,” which was created with forty other gang intervention experts, peace advocates, and researchers (approved by the LA City Council in 2008 and available for free from Councilman Tony Cardenas’s office). In fact the US Consulate and community-based groups now plan to order hundreds of these guidebooks, which we also hope to be translated for use in Mexico. Already I’ve taken this invaluable resource to cities throughout the US, a few of which have also decided to adopt its principle strategies. Perhaps the most significant talk I gave occurred the next day, Friday, at the Juarez Correctional/Juvenile Detention Center. The writers group, Palabras de Arena (hola to Ivonne and Laura and the others) has been working with these youth for some time. It’s the only juvenile facility that provides arts training and expression. I met with poets and artists. A rich and intimate discussion was held with spiritually hungry and intelligent young people—although many have committed serious crimes, including murder. The facility’s director, a young woman with a big heart, even allowed five of the youth to leave the detention center and show me several murals they painted with members of the community along the high concrete walls. They plan to cover even more walls once they obtain more resources. I could tell the administration was helping move the minds and hearts of youth offenders to become whole and healthy—and creative—when they leave this facility. Sadly, very few juvenile lockups in Mexico—or the US for that matter—have such programs in place. I also did a number of TV and print interviews that were good at presenting properly the substance and goals of my presence in Ciudad Juarez—not to be “anti-gang” or “anti-drugs,” but to be pro-youth, pro-community, and pro-arts. In the afternoon, I did a presentation to NGO (nongovernmental organization) leaders, sponsored by Centro Para el Fortalacimiento Social. Other talks included with the state-sponsored Department of Human Rights, who asked for a special audience with me. They hope to try and bring me back with other university and community-based groups. A reception—called un hamburguesada—was held that evening at the home of Consul General Raymond McGrath, a wonderful man and friend. That evening I got to read poetry with a number of local poets, including the amazing “Poeta Enmascarado” (the Masked Poet, in the style of Lucha Libre wrestlers). The next morning, we went to some of the poorest colonias in the city (including Colonias Morelos, Libertad and Mineros) to meet with poor barrio youth, some of whom worked with Philadelphia muralists to paint murals on a new canal created after a massive flood in 2006 that killed a number of residents. We did writing exercises, including one in which the youth—about twenty-five—articulated the values they wanted expressed on the walls (such as Liberty, Equality, Peace, Justice). Still, all good things must end. The week was quite an initiation for me, but I also hope inspiring for the diverse audiences I addressed… like planting seeds in fertile soil for truly deep personal, social, economic, and cultural transformation. I have to thank the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez for the amazing work they did in organizing the presentations in conjunction with various organization (libraries, schools, cultural centers, universities, churches, jails, juvenile lockups, and others too many to name here). In particular much thanks to Juan Pablo, but also Neal, Pati, and the program director, Silvio Gonzalez. It makes me proud to know that the US consulate is working to bring positive influence and connections to places like Ciudad Juarez.  That’s what I’m about—and when this happens, I’ll work with anyone who has the same goals and methods. Para todos mis nuevos amistades en Juaritos y Chihuahua—que viva la paz, tolerancia, y un gran justicia para todos. c/s

On Tuesday, I had the honor of speaking to students of the National School of Anthropology in the City of Chihuahua. We held an engaging discussion about the Chicano culture, writing, but also about gangs, the arts, and social change. I also heard comments from students about the issues confronting their communities. Some of their investigations include work among indigenous peoples, in particular the Raramuri of the Sierra Tarahumara, where my mother’s family is descended from and a community I spent some time studying myself in 1997. In the evening, we created a Poetry Jam with students from Chihuahua State University/School of Literature and Philosophy. We had more than a hundred people in the auditorium, graciously listening to my poems. I then invited anyone there to step up and read their poetry. Several students left, but not because they didn’t want to take part—they wanted to get their poems from lockers and cars so they could Jam. Sure enough about a dozen or so students read their original work, which I found quite developed, interesting, and compelling. Mexico is a land of poets, even without many options to develop as one. Yet in Chihuahua these students proved how powerful poetry remains in the heart of the people. The next day I visited the largest state penitentiary. We drove for an hour outside the city limits. We met with the prison director who told us there were 2250 prisoners, including a section for women. They had maximum security and minimum-security cellblocks. I spoke to about 100 men in a lower security section. This proved to be quite fruitful and eye opening. Most of the men said they wanted jobs, training, rehabilitation, and workshops. Apparently the prison lacks many resources and even though there are machines to create furniture and other products, most of them had no access to these machines. Gang violence has forced the prison system to divide the two major gangs in the state into different facilities. Last year, in a Ciudad Juarez prison, one gang rioted against another gang, leading to the massacre of 21 persons. Yet the men we talked to were respectful and open—leading to a group photo in the yard that I hope to share with my blog readers once I get this. I also presented my book “La Vida Loca” to start a library at the prison—they have no books to date—that the US Consulate staff said they would help with donations of other books. Today I was privileged to visit the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, the largest in the world for temporary and tourist visas to the United States. It is a new building—about a year old—that since its opening has brought new malls, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses to the surrounding area. The consulate staff was attentive and amiable—and quite active as intermediaries with community-based NGOS and groups among the poorest and most gang-ridden communities. We met with leaders in community-based organizations and a few of their donors. Later I met with youth leaders and activists who are trying to provide levels of resources, mentorship and infrastructure to marginalized communities. In the afternoon, a number of young people, average age of 15, came to the consulate to take part in one of my Empowerment/Expression workshops with words and writing. As always, this proved to be engaging and powerful, especially when they read back their words, full of detail, emotion, and deep soul revelation. I met a woman working with impoverished youth who is also active in justice for the hundreds of women who have disappeared or been killed in Ciudad Juarez since 1993—she also lost a daughter. Despite a few arrests, and many theories, the vast majority of these deaths and disappearances have yet to be solved. This mother told me that women continue to be killed or kidnapped, but with the increased rise of murders due to drug and gang wars in the last three years—making Ciudad Juarez the deadliest city in the world—most of the media has changed its focus. I must say how rewarding all these talks, discussions, workshops, and visits have been. I have even more on Friday and Saturday. Tomorrow I visit a juvenile detention center, have more media interviews, and will present to a group of NGO leaders a presentation entitled: Hearts & Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times. c/s