Remembrances of Raúl, Part Two

In memory of Raúl Roy “Tapon” Salinas (1934-2008), we continue to offer these words from those who knew him and worked with him.

Liliana Valenzuela, poet and translator, Austin, Texas:

I remember Raúl Salinas coming up to me at a Resistencia Bookstore reading I was doing with Claire Joysmith to present the anthology, One Wound for Another/Herida por otra: Testimonios de Latin@s in the U.S. Through Cyberspace (11 de Septiembre de 2001 - 11 de Marzo de 2002). At first my fists were closed, feeling nervous in anticipation of our reading. He smudged sage over me, then he motioned for me to open my hands, so he could bless them. I exposed my palms and received his blessing, in the process opening myself and my heart up to the experience of sharing our work with the community, and that has made all the difference.

Raúl really understood ritual, and the need to create sacred space for our poetry and for telling each other the truth about our lives, a truth that could heal us all.

Francisco Aragón, director, Letras Latinas, University of Notre Dame

It's only been in the last few years that I've come to understand, appreciate, and deeply value the place raúlsalinas occupies in Chicano letters — thanks, in part, to a trip to El Paso, Texas a few years ago.

I was invited to accompany Raul to a classroom visit at an alternative high school. Like the youth in the room, I found myself captivated by what I could only inadequately call his wisdom and gift for communication. I remember, in that moment, initially feeling disappointed that he only read one poem. But as the session progressed one was able to witness and feel how he was reaching these young men and women: it occurred to me that it was about more than poetry.

Afterwards, we went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch. Somehow, I remember Emmy Pérez was with us then. And I remember thinking to myself, as she and I both engaged him and were feeling inspired by his life's work, "Remember this man."

Rachel Jennings professor, University of Texas at San Antonio:

I never knew Raúl Salinas very well. Year after year, though, he was always there for activists and writers in Austin and Texas, which meant that he deeply affected my life.

I remember living in San Antonio in August 1999 to teach at the University of the Incarnate Word. A visiting professor who was new to San Antonio, I was immediately named chair of the university's Hispanic Heritage Month Committee. There was a "committee," but I did all the work. Why was a Tennessee hillbilly named chair of the Hispanic Heritage Month Committee? Apparently, I was more familiar with Mexican American Studies than most of the Anglo professors, while Mexican American colleagues had been tokenized to the point of exhaustion. I organized visits by Raúl Salinas, Petra Mata, and Viola Casares of Fuerza Unida, a San Antonio women's labor organization; Louis Mendoza, then a professor of Chicano literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio; and Hector Perez, an Incarnate Word professor who was to speak on the playwright Josephina Niggli. There could not be a stronger group of speakers, but I enjoyed little institutional support for my endeavors.

Raúl was the first speaker. He came in mid-September. There were few amenities for him, the students and faculty were mostly unappreciative of his talent and generosity, and the honorarium was a very small one. I was afraid Raúl would scold and berate me, since he had endured many slights and rebuffs from academics over the years. Raúl, though, never took me to task. Seeming to realize my impossible position, he remained gentle and kindly throughout our mutual ordeal. I've heard that Raúl could be a hard taskmaster, but he always treated me courteously. Although we did not know each other well, he could always remember me by name even if he hadn't seen me in a few years. I'll always remember that mark of true sensitivity and generosity.