MANY WORDS HAVE DESERVEDLY BEEN SPOKEN and written to mark the passing of historian, thinker and activist Howard Zinn. The passing of Luis Leal, who died in his sleep at 102 years old on January 10 in Santa Barbara, Califas, has not been punctuated by the same volume of tribute, but no less a warm one rises from many in the Chican@ community. After all, “Don” Luis Leal was a man who contributed to much awareness, self-empowerment and truth in nuestra comunidad.

Specifically, Luis Leal legitimized the area of Chicano Studies with his teachings and his research and passion. (Almost the opposite of what some in Texas are trying to do with their suggested edits to schoolbooks.) This has imbued an immeasurable amount of self-respect and worth and knowledge that is now accessible to gente.

On the same day Charles Lindbergh completed his historic crossing of the Atlantic Ocean—May 21, 1927—Luis Leal stepped off the train at Union Station in Chicago. As with Lindbergh, this Mexican native would become known as a pioneer in his field. Professor Leal helped develop the study of Latin American literature and is considered one of the founders of the field of Chicano/Chicana (Mexican American) literary studies.

His extensive works include books, bibliographies, anthologies, and hundreds of journal and newspaper articles and essays, published for both U.S. and Latin American audiences. Much of Leal’s works put Mexican, Chicano, and Latino literature and writers in historical context. They reflect his view that research is part of a dialogue on how to advance community or social issues. Affectionately called Don Luis, Leal also helped develop scholarship by working with students who wrote the first dissertations on world-renown Mexican and Chicano writers.

—Luis Leal: 1907—: Scholar, Literary Critic Biograph

Attached is a poem called Águila y Sol (Eagle and Sun) written by another icon in the community, Francisco X. Alarcón. Francisco wrote this for Luis Leal, and he sent it along the other day to a list of Chicano academics, artists, and activists from whom my father is soliciting works with which to prepare (with the help of Francisco Lomelí) a tribute for the departed Señor Leal. A “poema imposible” as jefito put it, to have for the memorial in Santa Barbara next week (Feb 1).

Salúd, Don Luis! You helped us learn about ourselves and uncover history; history important to our people. You helped us feel the effort was worthy, and helped many others to see the same about our many contributions and legacies. Your energy and love para la gente live on in the shape of so many more streams of energy and awareness. Gracias.

MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD.

For a second I want to talk about what he meant in my life. And how I see him. There will be plenty of time for endless conversations and accusations and equivocations and decimations of his person or at least his public image as one or another person has perceived it. I don’t think I’ll join in those too much. But I do want to mark the moment for myself.

I first heard Michael Jackson in grade school! The ABC, 123 song. And then a bit later, Rockin’ Robin, when I was about 11. I found Off the Wall when I began roller skating in rinks at about the same age. His music was with me for a long time. Thriller hit the scene when I was a teen, about 15 or so. Remember that album…I think that was the first time I thought his nose (surgery) looked a bit strange. But you know. Who cares, right? Who cared. The whole suit glowed. The album was amazing.

I wore a Tshirt around that time of his to school in high school. It was not a “cool” move and got me a few punches where I was living at the time. But I didn’t care. Because Michael Jackson the artist helped me reach places in my soul that transcend my every day existence. For years. That’s not how I thought of it! But…that’s what it is. This is what art and artists do at their best. And MJ was there in my life for a long, long time helping me do that. And I identify many things with him and his music. Freedom to move in a funky manner; freedom, as a male to dance in ways that males did not. Freedom simply to exercise the joy he seemed to tap into so easily. And how many times did I practice the moonwalk?

If we must talk about the controversial reality of his apparent physical transformation (and I do think that is an important conversation at some point) I would say that to me The Standard of Whiteness and US Suckcess is a lot of what destroyed Michael Jackson. I watched his arc with both awe and horror…watched his skin get bright white over my lifetime. His nose get smaller…and then…alien, even. Watched his lips get surgicalized. He seemed to me someone who wanted to escape the bind of both race and gender…and himself. I know that over the years I watched his eyes fill with pain. And I felt that pain in part…or thought I did.

But the truth is I don’t know his pain. And neither do you. He is a star. He is there for us to project our feelings and thoughts on, and we do. Our adulation or hatred. Our judgment. And if we must condemn him, I would remind you that it is a judgment that sits upon us as a society, as well.

Words come back to me that John Lennon sang: “They didn’t want me, so they made me a star.”

Some people (I can hear them even now, clamoring for the mic) are going to jump right into sizing up his life and calling him deviant or criminal, an abuser, a bad parent, a weirdo. I don’t know. He may be those things. Not talking about that, nor do I have the whole picture. Nor do I know what happened to or with him all along the path of his life, though I do watch the same media as you. If he is or isn’t any of those things, I hope it’s clear that just as not having a green icon on Twitter is not indicative that I want the Theocracy to succeed in Iran, neither is my celebration of Michael Jackson’s music and my mourning of his passing any indication that I don’t also care about children that are harmed anywhere at any time should that be the case. I do. So I’m not warming much to hearing people sneer now about how ugly they find his past, his accusations, his life. Regardless of what might be the truth of all of that, the simple fact that you are banging a drum about it at this moment—when you know so many around you are taking space to grieve—well, that sort of marks you as the ugly one in my way of seeing things.

It was his music. The energy in his eyes. The spirit that moved through him in the form of his dancing and happiness and art. That is what I celebrate right here.

Goodbye, Michael. Rest in peace.

And when the groove is dead and gone
you know that love survives
so we can rock forever…

_________________________________________

Other MJ Posts from this time:
• Friday Michael Music
• Mexicans Set World Record for Mass Thriller Dance
• Michael Jackson Flashmob Tributes
• A Last Moment for the Man in the Mirror

I’M VERY SORRY TO SAY that Brisenia Flores and her father Raul are dead. That’s Brisenia on the left. The Flores familia was sleeping when anti-immigrant crusaders busted down their door and invaded their home, ICE-style, before shooting the father and daughter to death.

A real class act, these anti-immigrant Minuteman types. Whether it’s being thieves and deceiving those they work with as well as whom they raise money from, or kicking down doors and shooting little girls and their families in bed, they are hard at work defending their diseased sense of reality from the world.

An outspoken anti-immigration activist who was at the center of a series of violent crimes in Everett earlier this year now stands accused of the home-invasion killings of an Arizona man and his 9-year-old daughter.

Hyper-Tanned Anti-Immigrant Minuteman Leader Shawna Forde Charged With Murder

Shawna Forde, 41, and two associates in her Minuteman American Defense group are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of aggravated assault, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Arizona.

Eugene Bush

The May 30 killings were believed to be premeditated and part of a plan to steal money and drugs to finance the Minuteman group she leads. Forde’s own family said that the woman weeks ago had discussed using robberies to raise money for her cause.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told the Green Valley News and Sun that Forde was trying right up until her arrest Friday “to get together a large amount of money to further sophisticate the type of operation she’s interested in.”

—[Anti-Immigrant] Activist Shawna Forde charged in double slaying

Salud, Raul y Brisenia. I can only imagine the pain your wife/mother has to live with, now. May she find some relief and healing as soon as possible. And may justice come swiftly for those who have gouged so much amor y sangre from her life, and taken you all away from each other for a while.

Aztec Angel

by Luis Omar Salinas