
Armando Rendón '61 - Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month Q&A
What was your grad year and major? What were you some extracurriculars you were involved in?
I graduated in 1961. I was in the second class to complete four years of Integrated Curriculum (now the Integral Program)–fact is, Integral was a life-changing experience. Technically, I graduated with a major in English and a couple minors.
I worked on The Collegian my first three years, serving as editor as a junior, and editor of the campus literary magazine, The Phoenix, as a senior.
What is your heritage? How do you feel about it?
I’m Mexican American by birth and a Chicano by choice. I was part of the Chicano Movement as an observer and chronicler of events and ideas of that time, and wrote a book about it, Chicano Manifesto, published by Macmillan Company in 1971. So, I feel quite comfortable and inspired by my ethnicity.
What does Hispanic Latinx Heritage month mean to you?
Not much. I went through the period of time when it was first a September 16th Day then a week and then a Month. None of these stages made much of a dent in how the general society perceived Mexican Americans, let alone peoples of other indigenous/Hispanic origins from the Americas.
How does your heritage play a role in your professional or personal life?
As a Chicano writer and author, my heritage drives much of my social and professional activities, particularly as I am founder and editor of an online literary magazine, Somos en escrito, which serves as a venue for Chicano and Latino writers who don’t get an audience with the traditional publishing houses. Although I’m retired from an 8 to 6 employee status, I am still quite active in my writing and publishing roles.
Tell me about your profession (or former profession) and your journey there.
I was bound to become a writer since I was a kid, even though my family wanted me to become a licenciado, someone “licensed” with a science or engineering degree if not a doctor or lawyer. Since my first year at St Mary’s College High School in Albany through SMC I worked on the school newspapers eventually assuming the editor in chief’s job for both papers. My first paid job was as a reporter for a weekly newspaper in Sacramento, CA, the Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper, but I was recruited by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1967 in Washington, D.C., at the height of the civil rights movement and soon found myself very much a part of the social justice action among Mexican Americans that became known as the Chicano Movement. I went on to work in public affairs and public relations for the federal government and then for a California State agency. Probably the smartest thing I ever did was to marry a girl I met at a mixer on the SMC campus and who stayed my wife for 57 years.
What's one thing you want others to know or think about regarding the Latinx community?
Number 1 is that Chicanos, that is, Americans of Mexican origin and Latinos, the term used for all the other diverse ethnicities that entails, are not an immigrant sector of the U.S. population. I hope that at least most persons associated with SMC are aware or can appreciate that distinction. For the past couple decades at least, there has been a concentrated effort by conservative elements in our society to paint us as recently crossed the border, who are only good for stoop or menial labor, mostly meant to harvest crops and clean other people’s homes. As far as Mexican Americans are concerned, we have roots in the land going back thousands of years; the folks who are labelled Latinos similarly descend from thousand years old peoples of the Americas. Which leads me to point out that the use of the terms, Hispanic and Latino, tend to gloss over the rich diversity among peoples of the Americas.
How can others be an ally? and, Any advice for current Gaels?
The peoples in the U.S. of indigenous/Hispanic background have our own narratives, our own varied culture, the impact of demographics, and a significant role to carry out in the future of this country. We should expect the college to reflect these factors and strive to make them a reality as regards curricula, faculty, admissions, student services and administration. I know that the SMC alumni can contribute to that vision by making sure the Mexican American and Latino heritage be celebrated year round through well-designed and effective policy and practice.
As for current Chicano Gaels, never forget where you came from and cherish the richness of our culture, master the two languages we have at hand, and make sure you recognize the opportunities that lie ahead and that you share the benefits of the education you obtain here with all peoples.
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Additional Hispanic Latinx Heritage month Q&As:
- Andrea Diaz-Garcia '22 - coming soon
- Magaly García-Kummert '15
- Sandra (Simeon) Guardado '02
- Jaime Raul Zepeda '07