Ricardo Sánchez was a writer, poet, professor, and activist. Sometimes called the "Grandfather of Chicano poetry," Sánchez gained national acclaim for his 1971 poetry collection ''Canto y Grito Mi Liberacion''.
Incarcerated in his twenties for stealing money to feed his struggling family, Sánchez read extensively and even learned
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
while at
Soledad Prison in California.
Upon his release in 1969, his poems were included in a poetry anthology. In 1971, his first solo collection of poetry was published, establishing Sánchez as one of the nation's most important
Chicano
Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...
poets.
Early life
From a very early age, Sánchez knew he wanted to be a writer. Born during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
on March 29, 1941, in El Barrio del Diablo,
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...
, Sánchez was the youngest of 13 children. As a teenager, he was a gifted student and notable young poet.
In 1958, he had turning point after a high school teacher told him, "Chicano boys don't grow up to be poets. Janitors maybe, but not writers."
The next year, Sánchez dropped out of high school to join the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
.
He earned a
G.E.D.
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
in the service; nevertheless, his stint ended with a
dishonorable discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...
after he was arrested and sentenced to prison in 1960 at the age of nineteen.
After three years, Sánchez was paroled in 1963. Soon after his release, he married his wife, María Teresa Silva, yet he struggled to support his growing family. In 1965, shortly before their first child was born, Sánchez was tried and sentenced again for armed robbery.
Upon his release from Soledad in 1969, however, Sánchez found his first string of successes as a writer.
Writing
After publishing his work in an edited anthology, Sánchez received a prestigious Frederick Douglass journalism fellowship.
In 1970, he was accepted into the
doctoral program
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...
at
Union Institute & University
Union Institute & University (UI&U) is a private university in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specializes in limited residence and distance learning programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates satellite campuses ...
. He received his PhD in
American Studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory.
Sch ...
in 1974 and received a tenure track faculty position at
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
. While teaching at Washington State, Sánchez continued publishing his work to great acclaim. His collection ''Hechizospells'' (1976) was praised as "awesome in its sweep and profundity about the human condition." The poet
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...
described his work: “Ricardo Sanchez is like any great poet. He’s at once a preacher, a teacher, a priest, a rabbi. He’s a guru, he’s a master. And because he is that he’s also a rebel. He’s a maverick. Every great teacher is a maverick.”
Sánchez' "raging cries for cultural justice" and "startling, angry verse" are often credited as foundational to the fields of
Chicano poetry Chicano poetry is a branch of American literature, and specifically Mexican-American literature, written by and primarily about Mexican Americans and the many Mexican-American ways of life in U.S. society. The term "Chicano" is a political and cul ...
and modern
Chicano literature
Mexican American literature is literature written by Mexican Americans in the United States. Although its origins can be traced back to the sixteenth century, the bulk of Mexican American literature dates from post-1848 and the United States anne ...
.
He died from
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...
in 1995 at the age of 54.
His papers today are held at both the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
and
Stanford University.
Works
* ''Canto Y Grito Mi Liberación'' (Washington State University Press, 1971).
* ''Hechizospells'' (University of California Press, 1976).
* ''Brown Bear Honey Madnesses: Alaskan Cruising Poems'' (Slough Press, 1981).
* ''Amsterdam Cantos y Poemas Pistos'' (Place of Herons, 1983).
* ''Selected Poems'' (Arte Publico Press, 1985).
* ''Bertrand & the Mehkqoverse: A Xicano Filmic Nuance'' (Slough Press, 1989).
* ''Eagle-Visioned/Feathered Adobes: Manito Sojourns & Pachuco Ramblings October 4 to 24, 1981'' (Cinco Puntos Press, 1990).
* ''Amerikan journeys = Jornadas americanas'' (Rob Lewis, 1995).
* ''The Loves of Ricardo'' (Tia Chucha Press, 1997).
Bibliographical Resources
https://faculty.ucmerced.edu/mmartin-rodriguez/index_files/vhSanchezRicardo.htm
See also
*
List of Chicano poets
*
Pinto (subculture) Pinto or Pinta is a member of a Chicano subculture of people who are or have been incarcerated. It is an in-group moniker used to distinguish oneself from the general prison population or from "model inmates." It is a term which embraces the opposit ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sánchez, Ricardo
1941 births
1995 deaths
20th-century American poets
Activists for Hispanic and Latino American civil rights
American people of Mestizo descent
American poets of Mexican descent
Hispanic and Latino American poets
Latin Americanists
Mestizo writers