Monday, April 16, 2007: Luis J. Rodriguez, “We Never Stopped Crossing Borders” UA 6

Reader: Veronica Kreuder

Photo Credit: Donna DeCesare

 Short Biography:

Mr. Rodriguez was born in the region that encompasses the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez area, between the states of Texas and Chihuahua. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of two and has been overcoming borders ever since. His life history is interesting because he grew up in very poor sections in Los Angeles. He was also a gang member for seven years, beginning at age 11. He has a rapsheet of everything from theft to attempted murder. At 18, he replaced his gang life with community service and began writing in small community magazines and newspapers. His interest grew in political and cultural activities as they related to Hispanics.  Mr. Rodriguez was a featured guest on PBS in Bordertalk, where he answered questions on his thoughts about borders and he reiterated his stance on barriers discussed in his poem “We Never Stopped Crossing Borders”. Luis has written eight books and received numerous awards for his book, “Always Running: La Vida Loca; Gang Days in LA”. He has written several short stories, articles, poems and children’s books.

Poem:      We Never Stopped Crossing Borders (pg 6)

Course Objective:

2c: "Quick check" on minority status: What is the individual’s or group’s relation to the law or other dominant institutions? Does "the law" (e. g., the police) make things better or worse?

3c. Mexican American narrative: “The Ambivalent Minority”

("Ambivalent" means having "mixed feelings" or contradictory attitudes. Mexican Americans as a group may feel or exemplify mixed feelings about whether they are a distinct, aggrieved minority group or an immigrant culture that will assimilate. As individuals or families who come to America for economic gain but suffer social dislocation, Mexican Americans resemble the dominant immigrant culture. On the other hand, much of Mexico's historic experience with the USA resembles the experience of the Native Americans: much of the United States, including Texas, was once Mexico. Does a Mexican who moves from Juarez to El Paso truly immigrate? In any case, it’s not just another immigrant story.)

5a. To discover the power of poetry and fiction to help “others” hear the minority voice and vicariously share the minority experience.

Questions:

1.  What is the overall mood or feeling of this reading? What words did the author use to give you that feeling?

2.  Rio Grande vs. Rio Bravo. The author points out that there are differences in what the Mexicans call the river and what the whites call it. Why do you think he did this?

3.  He uses the river and border as symbols. What is your interpretation of these two symbols (what do you think they stand for)?

Works Cited:

“Unsettling America”: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry. Ed. Maria Mazziotti Gillman and Jennifer Gillman, Penquin Books, USA, 1994. Pg 6.

http://www.luisjrodriguez.com; accessed April 1, 2007-04-01

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/borders/talk/dialogue003_lr_6q.html; accessed April 1, 2007-04-01