Always Running (35 page)
Authors: Luis J. Rodriguez
Rodríguez, age twenty-nine, as a freelance reporter in Tijuana, Mexico, 1983.
Rodríguez, age thirty-eight, with oldest son Ramiro, age seventeen, in Chicago, summer 1992.
Rodríguez, at forty, with youngest son, Luis (one month) and son Ruben (age six), in Chicago, summer 1994.
Rodríguez with one of his grandchildren, Anastasia, visiting Homeboy Industries, summer 2007.
Wife Trini Rodríguez, Bruce Springsteen, and Rodríguez in April 2008. Springsteen is a supporter of Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore.
Photo of Luis J. Rodríguez, age fifty-five, in 2009.
Luis and Trini Rodríguez being honored at an all-nations Native American Pow Wow in Los Angeles, 2010.
Rodríguez signing books for youth at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural and Bookstore, March 2012.
At the fifteenth annual celebration in the Native traditions for Rodríguez’s granddaughter Anastasia, age fifteen, near Sterling, Illinois, in summer 2012. With Rodríguez are his granddaughter Catalina, wife Trini, granddaughter Anastasia, granddaughter Amanda, son Ramiro, daughter Andrea, first wife Camila, and close family friend Sheilah Garland-Olaniron.
†: PACHUCO CROSS
A la brava:
To do something whether you like it or not.
Amá mira a Rano!:
Ma, look at Rano!
Aquí estoy:
Here I am.
Aquí nomás
: Just here, doing nothing.
Aquí para Sangra—¿y qué?:
Here stands Sangra—what are you going to do about it?
Así es así será:
This is how it is, this is how it’s going to be.
Barrio:
Neighborhood. Also the territory of Chicano gang groupings.
Bienvenidos:
“Welcome,” the community center which once served South San Gabriel.
Blancas:
White amphetamine pills.
Bolero:
A slow ballad/dance.
Borlote:
A party; a rowdy scene.
Botánica:
A barrio herb and tonic shop. Known for religious and medicinal items.
Bruja:
Witch.
Cabrones:
Bastards.
Caiga:
Come here.
Caló:
Chicano street slang. Not just “Spanglish” but urbanisms which are neither Spanish or English. Linked to the Gypsy patois of Spain and Mexico.
Cantón:
One’s house; “the crib.”
Camaradas:
Partners.
Carnal(es)/carnala(s):
Brothers or sisters, literally “of the flesh.” Also an affectionate way to greet fellow barrio members.
Carrucha:
A beat-up car.
Chale:
Slang for “no.”
Charrangas:
A popular Cuban-based rhythm.
Chavalas:
Slang for girls. Derogatory if referring to males.
Chicanos:
The Mexican people in the United States.
Chicharrónes:
Mexican-style pork rinds.
Chicos:
Young dudes.
Chingao:
A term of exclamation; “what the fuck?”
Chingaso:
A hard blow; being struck down.
Chisme Arte:
“Gossip Art;” an East L.A.-based literary and art magazine published during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Chiva:
Heroin.
Cholo(s)/chola(s); cholillos:
A low life. Appropriated by Chicano barrio youth to describe the style and people linked to local gang structures.
Chota:
The police.
Chúpame:
Suck me.
Churros:
Mexican flour bread fried in grease and then dipped in sugar and cinnamon.
Clica(s):
Slang for clique(s) or club(s).
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua: Juárez City, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua; a border town across from El Paso, Texas.
Coloradas (colies):
Red barbiturate pills.
Compa:
Companion; short for
compañero
or
compadre.
Con Safos:
Chicano slang meaning “nobody can mess with this.” Usually used in graffiti after a gang designation (often with just the letters c/s). Later an affectionate term among barrio youth for whatever is hip and cool. Also the name of a Chicano magazine from the late 1960s, and the name of an East L.A. rock-soul band during the 1980s.
Comadres:
Godmothers.
Controla:
To control.
Corridos:
Mexican “running” ballads, usually telling a story of heroism and heartbreak.
Costurera(o):
Garment worker.
Cuete: A
gun; literally a firecracker.
Curandera(o): A
Mexican healer, often linked with magic and Native-Catholic beliefs.
De aquellas:
Of fine quality; “way out there.”
Dedos:
Fingers, refers to snitches.
¿De dónde eres?:
Where you from? Used to challenge rival gang-bangers.
De verotas:
The real truth.
De volada:
To do something in a hurry; without thinking.
Diablos:
Devils; the name of a set in the Sangra barrio.
El jefito:
The boss; affectionate term for father. Mothers are called
la jefita.