In this episode we learn about Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales -- professional boxer, humanitarian, poet, and leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Who is Rodolfo Corky Gonzales? What did Rodolfo Corky Gonzales do? Listen to find out.

Terminology:

  • Chicano: An American of Mexican descent; Mexican-American
  • Latino/Latina/Latinx: Latinx refers to someone descending from the geographic area of Latin America (Central America, South America, Caribbean)
  • Hispanic: A person descending from a Spanish speaking area (e.g. Spanish speaking countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, or Spain itself)
  • Remember that while most people in Latin America speak Spanish, some do not. For example, most people in Brazil speak Portuguese and those in Haiti speak French. Therefore it is possible to be Latinx and not be Hispanic. People from Spain speak Spanish but are not from Latin America - making them Hispanic but not Latinx.
  • It is important to note that not all people who fit into these groups recognize a distinction or even identify as such. Cultural descriptors can be very personal and it is best to defer to the individual's preference.

Soy Americano

Words and Music by David Matthew Garza

I grew up along the border
Between the US and Mexico
The teacher asked if I spoke English
I said yo soy Americano

I fought for this country
With my brothers in the Second World War
Mother had three blue stars in the window
Yo soy Americano

If I’m to be so lucky
To return and have children of my own
Please let them know something
Yo soy Americano

I had a son and a daughter
One of the lucky ones
Every morning when I’d wake up
I’d fly the flag over the yard

My grandkids think I’m old fashioned
But I pray that they never will see
All the blood that was bled on those beaches
The faces in shear agony
And now that I’ve been so lucky
You should know what this land means to me
You can tell them that I fought for something
Yo soy Americano

©David Matthew Garza, 2021

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For additional resources, lessons, and printable transcript visit https://www.historyfromroom213.com/s1e4-rodolfo-corky-gonzales/

Written and produced by Rebeccah Glass Lowe and Rob Glass
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rob Glass at Milkman Recording Studies, Indianapolis, IN
Theme Music: "Do Your Best" by Cam Melton

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