The following was written in July 1999 at the end of the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on San Antonio, Texas. Derrumbando Fronteras/Breaking Boundaries focused on Mexican American and Latino Literature and Culture in the Classroom. The content of the poem came from the notes I took over the course of the month from workshops, speakers, readings from writers and scholars (including Sandra Cisernos, Rudolfo Anaya, Elva Trevino Hart, Cristina Garcia, Denise Chavez, Ana Menendez, Andrea O'Reilly Herrera, Dolores Prida (may she RIP), Luis Rodriguez, Mary Grace Rodriquez, Pat Mora, Graciela Limon. The Institute was designed and hosted by Ellen Riojas Clark at the University of Texas / San Antonio). It was a life-changing month for me.
testimonial
I wanted to tell the truth. confront the social order, subvert the system .... But all I am is a poet What can I do? I am the guardian of memory I am a humanist. It would be sad of we had to be a Latino [or feminist / prisoner / native / outsider / gringo / migrant / professor] to be an ally. Isn’t identity dead? I am a humanist. I write because I love words: it starts with a rush of language, an intoxication of language, a searing image starts the day. It’s about everybody’s children ... I’m soaked by their sadness Take in the sadness ... then what will you do with it: Writing is a way to keep childhood stories from haunting you – the inheritance doesn’t come from advantage the inheritance comes from disadvantage And everybody knows what it feels like to be different and literature lets you know you aren’t crazy. Language shapes reality Language is the site of conflict Language is a window Language is a mirror We need to see ourselves reflected in the text: The prize is often intangible.
Note: No doubt that this experience has me very vigilant of the current administration’s attempts to whitewash, erase, and silence the cultural, social, and artistic voices in the United States.