‘Corky’ Gonzalez remembered as liberation fighter
By
Larry Hales
Published Apr 20, 2005 4:19 PM
On April 17, some 2,000 family
members, friends, supporters and acti vists marched from Escuela Tlatelolco
in remem brance of Rudolfo “Corky” Gonzalez, founder of the school,
who had died on April 13. The 76-year-old had been diagnosed with congestive
heart failure and renal disease.
The march ended at Curtis Park near down
town Denver. At the park, there were traditional Aztec dancers, music and other
performances to celebrate the life of the activist who, in the 1960s, after
having split from the Democratic Party, began the Cru sade for Justice, an
organization whose building was attacked in 1973 by Denver police. In the
pitched battle that followed, the upper floor of the building was torn apart by
a blast that many attribute to the police.
“Corky” Gonzalez
was a boxer in his earlier life who became a fighter for justice and the
liberation of Chicanos and all people of color. He began to realize that a
capitalist party like the Democratic Party would not and could not truly
advocate for people of color.
In his poem “I am Joaquin,”
which states emphatically “I shall endure! I will endure!,” he
blends together the many aspects of being from Mexico, of trying to hold on to
those roots and culture in a country that sought and still seeks to strip people
of color of pride in their history and culture. In doing so, the essence of a
people’s struggle is lost, and without knowing what is capable, mounting a
further struggle for liberation is extremely difficult.
In his active
life, “Corky” Gonzalez understood the importance of the culture of
Mexican people in resisting racism. The school Escuela Tlatelolco was opened
because of the failure of Denver schools to educate Chicano students and to
instruct them in both Spanish and English.
He also linked up with Cesar
Chavez and leaders of the Black struggle, fought against police brutality and
protested the Vietnam War, and in 1968 led Chicanos in the Poor People’s
March on Washington.
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