[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE MEMORY OF CORKY GONZALES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Rodolfo ``Corky'' Gonzales, one of Colorado's most influential civil 
rights leaders who passed away on April 12, 2005. While I did not have 
the pleasure of getting to know this remarkable man in person, it is 
impossible not to know of his extraordinary political career in Denver, 
Colorado.
  Raised during the Great Depression, Corky Gonzales rose from poverty 
to become one of the founding leaders of the Chicano Civil Rights 
Movement in the 1960s and in doing so he gave voice to the aspirations 
of millions of people, particularly in the Latino communities of the 
southwestern United States.
  Corky Gonzales first rose to prominence as champion boxer during the 
late 1940's and early 1950's. His fearlessness in the ring served him 
well when he decided to use his voice and not his fists to champion the 
cause of equality.
  Growing up poor in Denver shaped his sense of justice--and instilled 
a very deep commitment to improve the lives of so many in the so-called 
``Mexican-American'' community of the times, and he was one of the 
first of his generation to call public attention to the civil rights 
struggle of Latino people after decades of indifference, benign neglect 
and outright discrimination.
  Gonzales also was an accomplished poet and lover of art and 
literature often extolling the virtues of education and urging his 
followers to use their minds as a means of fighting injustice. Anita, 
his oldest daughter, has said that the standard bill of fare in the 
Gonzales household was not the latest fad or fashion, but discussions 
on art, literature, politics and philosophy. In this regard, Corky was 
a true ``Renaissance man''--although I suspect he would flinch at that 
description.
  In 1965 he founded the ``Crusade for Justice'' which became a Mecca 
for likeminded individuals committed to the cause of justice and 
equality for those on the margins of society. While the nation's 
television news covered the marches in Selma and the civil rights 
struggle of African-Americans throughout the South, young Corky was 
raising a similar voice for equality in the West.
  In 1967 he wrote a celebrated epic poem ``I am Joaquin'' which many 
describe as the greatest poem to come out of the Chicano Civil Rights 
Movement. The poem, an odyssey of self discovery and affirmation of 
ethnic pride quickly became a blueprint for social action and a clarion 
call to an entire generation of Americans young and old alike.
  He was not without his detractors, but anyone who attempts to achieve 
anything of lasting importance seldom is, and for people of my 
generation, he was a much needed voice for change. To his followers and 
to those who loved and respected him he was ``the hurricane that rose 
from the barrios of Denver to lift his people into the 21st century.''
  This fearless warrior left an indelible imprint on our society and 
future generations of leaders. But for his early journey, paving the 
way for others, Colorado might never have witnessed Federico Pena as 
Mayor of Denver or Ken Salazar as a United States Senator. Corky 
launched the idea of Chicano Pride long before it became fashionable to 
celebrate Hispanic identity.
  Had he been born a few decades later perhaps, the young boxer might 
have exchanged his gloves for a seat in this House, but his 
contributions to our country and to the communities of color that are 
so deeply a part of the mosaic of the Southwestern United States remain 
a testament to his memory.
  In the Chicano and Mexican-American communities in my part of the 
country there is a deep sense of pride in being called to service. 
Corky Gonzales was like all great heroes, a human being who contributed 
to the great tradition of being involved in something greater than his 
own self-interest. In that great tradition it is my pleasure to declare 
. . . Rodolfo ``Corky'' Gonzales, Presente!

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