Latino High School Students Find Inspiration From Epic Poem “I Am Joaquin”

Episode 013: "The Word Is All We Had" featuring Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales & ñ Students Of La Academia
The inspiration for this episode came from the Grand Opening of the Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library in Denver. Chicano activist and Denver native, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, founded an urban civil rights and cultural movement called the Crusade for Justice in the mid-1960’s. Soon he became one of the central leaders in the Chicano movement and a strong proponent of Chicano nationalism. In the late sixties and early seventies, Corky Gonzales organized and supported high school walkouts, demonstrations against police brutality, and legal cases. He also organized mass demonstrations against the Vietnam War.
Corky’s son, Rudy Gonzales explains that the chicano-mexicano people make up 80% of the Latino population. “We are a mestizo nation from Alaska all the way to the Tierra del Fuego. We have a lot of the same traits and culture, we evolved into that; [Corky] was the renaissance of culture.” We, as story-architects at Project ñ, felt uniting history with young latinos in our community today would be best embodied by the reading of “I Am Joaquín,” by ñ students of the Denver Inner City Parish - La Academia. We asked the Charleen Ramirez, the principal of La Academia, to select students that might help our vision and right away, Martín, Riley, Mark and Daniel stepped up.
His daughter, Gail Gonzales, explains that growing up, “his big message was always: Learn, Educate, Read.” And with the presence of this new library, representing Corky’s people. Gail continues, “it’s a big step forward. It’s important for our youth to have self-identity, self-awareness, to know who they are and where they came from.” It was powerful for us to see his message reflected among the individual spirit, with the students of La Academia. City Librarian Shirley Amore said,”This library not only celebrates the diversity of West Denver, it is also a community space that will bring residents and visitors together in new and special ways. We’re honored to play a leading role in growing and strengthening the West Denver community.”
Rudy Gonzales powerfully paints the impact of his father’s poem, “this was our manifesto. It was the rock that moved, and the avalanche of literature followed.”
“I am Joaquín. I must fight to win this struggle for my sons, and they must know from me Who I Am.”
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