[News] SF Tribute to Raul R. Salinas, Sat. Feb. 23, Galeria de la Raza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

On 2/20/08, Mojica Arts 
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Graphic Design: Darren de Leon
Homenaje al Xicanindio -
A Celebration con Poesía
Un Poetic Viaje con
las Palabras de raulrsalinas

Tribute to Xicanindio -
A Celebration with Poetry
A Poetic Trip with
the words of raulrsalinas

RIP/DEP Raul R. Salinas
March 17, 1934 -
February 13, 2008

<http://www.raulrsalinas.com/>www.raulrsalinas.com

Join us as we pay tribute, in his own words, to legendary poet and activist
Raúl R. Salinas.

This Saturday, February 23
7pm
FREE
Donations will be accepted on behalf of his wife, 
Lila Salinas, for funeral and other arrangements.

Galería de la Raza
2857 24th St. @ Bryant
San Francisco

<mailto:info at galeriadelaraza.org>info at galeriadelaraza.org
415.826.8009
www.galeriadelaraza.org

¡Raúl R. Salinas, Presente!
March 17, 1934 - February 13, 2008

Jazz Hipster | Pinto | Cockroach Poet | Human 
Rights Activist | Xicanindio | Elder | Comrade

It is with profound sadness and heartache that we 
inform you of the passing of Calaca Press Field Commander, Raúl R. Salinas.

Raul, the author of the seminal Chicano 
experience poem, Un Trip Through the Mind Jail, 
was not only an accomplished poet but a dedicated 
community activist who gained a political 
consciousness while serving approximately 13 
years inside some of America's most notorious 
prisons (Huntsville, Soledad, and Leavenworth 
among others). While in prison at Marion he was 
befriended by Puerto Rican Nationalist Rafael 
Cancel Miranda (famed for an armed assault on 
congress on March 1, 1954 with fellow 
Nationalists including Lolita Lebron). Sr. 
Miranda was a major influence on Raul's lifework. 
Imprisoned during the early Chicano Movement 
years he was active in the prison rights 
struggles of that time. His book, raúlrsalinas 
and the Jail Machine: My Weapon is My Pen: 
Selected Writings by Raúl Salinas (edited by 
protégé Louis G. Mendoza) highlights his 
struggles and victories inside America's prison 
system. Including winning a landmark pr! ison rights case.

After his release from prison in 1973 he 
dedicated his life to Chicano and Native American 
causes. He was a member of the Centro de la Raza 
in Seattle, the American Indian Movement, a 
cofounder of the Leonard Peltier Defense 
Committee and various other progressive 
organizations dedicated to defending the rights 
and interests of all working class and colonized 
people. A true internationalist he was committed 
to supporting Puerto Rican independence (as well 
as ending the bombing on Vieques), the Cuban 
Revolution, The Nicaraguan Sandinistas, the 
Zapatistas in Chiapas and the Bolivarian Process 
of Presidente Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela 
among many other internationalist struggles.

After serving many years of forced exile in 
Washington state (where he helped defend Native 
American fishing rights), he eventually returned 
to his home in Austin, TX. Shortly thereafter he 
opened Resistencia Bookstore and Red Salmon Arts 
which became a cultural and political hub for East Austin's Chicano community.

In 1999, after hearing about this "cool vato de 
aquellas," Calaca Press took a chance by calling 
Resistencia Bookstore out of the blue to 
introduce ourselves and seek a meeting. After a 
somewhat cold conversation we later flew to San 
Antonio for the Inter-American Book Fair where we 
were to gather. Instantly we hit it off and plans 
were made to bring Raul to San Diego to record a 
couple poems for volume 2 of our Raza Spoken Here 
audio series. After an amazing recording session 
featuring Raúl and Taco Shop Poets rhythm section 
Mikey Figgins on bass and Kevin P. Green on drums 
it was decided to go forward with a full CD of 
Raul's work. A few months later Raul came back to 
San Diego (sleeping many a night on the infamous 
striped couch in our tiny apartment in Barrio 
Lomas) to finish recording what would become Los 
Many Mundos of raúlrsalinas: Un Poetic Jazz Viaje 
con Friends. During this session we recorded, but 
never released, Un Trip Through the Min! d Jail. 
Perhaps the only quality recording of this major work of Chicano literature.

It was during 2000 that Raúl affectionately and 
facetiously dubbed Calaca owners Brent E. Beltrán 
and Consuelo Manríquez de Beltrán the Chairman 
and Comandante CHElo, while calling himself the 
Field Commander of Calaca Press. Raul helped 
create and foment the current mystique that 
surrounds our Calacaverse and the work that we 
do. Between 2000 and 2004 Raul made numerous 
trips to San Diego to visit Calacalandia and 
became a regular amongst the Calacas and SD's 
Chicano art/activist scene. Without the example 
of our Field Commander, Calaca Press and our 
organization the Red CalacArts Collective (whom 
we borrowed the Red and Arts from Red Salmon Arts 
as an homage), would not be what it is today.

Our Field Commander and comrade will be missed 
and remembered. He will always hold a special place in our collective memory.

Adelante, compañero, siempre adelante.

Desde Calacalandia,

El Chairman y La Comandante CHElo

gray grease
for raúlrsalinas

salinas slides
gray grease
against the groove
the hard
roots rock
he walks
a moment
crystal city clear
still bringing
jazz and jams again

[]

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Photo taken in 2000 on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. © 2000 Alan Pogue.
sonrisas
tumbling
lingua franca
in a dice shoot
dipping days
salinas cool
viejito haze
'mano may raise
in riffs

he started breathing in san anto
brought it blessed in san anto
in the bop unbroken
guadalupe sunday
growing largo
salinas
dealing su descarga
and the smoke is in the air
disappearing
like a mingus moon
balloon

salinas
when they sing the sad corridos
do they also sing for you?
above the freeways passing over
and the sometimes quiet corners
we demeaned
by quarantine
the en masse
gente de masa

tired because
restlessness
is next to joblessness
and talking
the fruition of dead president cutbacks

tired because
double barrels
aim down broadway
emblematic of
i-say-so
blue clad predators

tired because
life does not
flash before the eyes
of hard rock vatos
dancing
green back mambos
celebrating every day
as día de los muertos

now die, just die
no requiems
no peace in campo santo lies
no real magic mantra may revive
conscience
not common
sense of the shaman
distant drum songs keeping time
we're running blind
holding bandanas
and bullets
and borderlines

we seek
we climb
we only find
the gristle and gray smoke sage
trencitas in the ancient way
burning down a desert stage
the migrant phrases
each by each
the whole of soul
frozen on an empty afternoon

by Tomás Riley
 From the book mahcic: selected poems (Calaca Press, 2005)

Calaca Press, P.O. Box 2309, National City, Califas 91951
(619) 434-9036 phone/fax
<http://calacapress.com/>www.calacapress.com 
<mailto:calacapress at cox.net>calacapress at cox.net
<http://myspace.com/calacalandia>www.myspace.com/calacalandia
www.redcalacartscollective.org
<http://calacavision.com/>www.calacavision.com




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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