Bobby Verdugo Presente and Thank You for blessing us with your warrior spirit and love
Bobby Verdugo shared many of his stories of the 1968 Walkouts and lessons learned as an advocate for education and justice from a very young age. His ongoing advocacy and social justice journey has always been an inspiration for many who have been blessed by his friendship, and leadership, let’s stay true to his legacy and re-ignite that feeling of sadness, grief, and love for him with new energy to write the next chapter of this movement.
Let’s challenge ourselves, alumni of many camps and movements to work to dream and arm our collective vision and love for just the world for all.
We know more than ever how much harder we need to organize and also need to check in with younger generations about what it will take to bring this down. We need to download the lessons to the younger generations like Tata Bobby and Tata Sal did.
Our elders are transitioning and making moves to lead the way and spark in us more fire otra vez.. ya se..no somos chamaquitos pero podemos armar más mitote
As only Tio Bobby would do…he still leaves a reflection and challenge for us to follow and lead with.
How are we going to use all these things we know and promises we made to ourselves and younger brothers and sisters in all those CYLC camps?
Se llevará con él las palabras y promesas?
Those are all the memories and messages I reflected on, after I hanged up the phone with Mita Cuaron so I decided to share it more with all, not just a picture of him, and sad news but also tell you a little about who this great man is to many of us CYLC alumni and colegas.
Today Tio Bobby takes a vow, of course on this historic May Day 2020 for his last battle on earth took place on May Day!
What a day to stand and say Si se Pudo y ahora les toca a otros!
It’s also a day of regeneration and planting the seeds on the Mayan calendar.. What are those seeds he plants in us today?
Thank you Uncle Bobby, you are now transcending and on your way to Mitlan with the big giants!
Hmmm, perhaps all these injustices and recent events were too much for your heart to witness and know Tío Bobby .. “he was like I’ll be a Ancestor and organize with the rest from el más allá because, we need warriors on all fronts”
Descanse en paz, let us take it from here .. Prayers and blessings to his family and colleagues who are also feeling this moment with his lovely wife Yoli Rios and rest of the family.
In 1968 Bobby was only 17-years-old. A senior at Lincoln High School, a period in our history, where there was a lot going on just like today. Not only here in California or even in the United States but all around the world.
There were a lot of movements, a lot of struggle for economic, educational, and social justice. It was the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
Some words from Tio Bobby himself
“Naturally, as a kid, I had other things on my mind: just being a teenager, wanting to have fun, wanting to grow up, and have a good life. But at the same time, I was realizing that there was something missing in my life in terms of education. I always thought that I was a failure, because I wasn’t doing well as a senior. I thought I was going to get kicked out, and one of the other options was that I was going to drop out because my grades were really poor. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself, and I thought it was me as an individual and as a failure, but it was at that point that I realized that there were many others like me.
At my school, there was a fifty percent drop-out rate. So it couldn’t be just one individual or just a bunch of individuals. There has to be something wrong with the system. There had to be other things going on. And that’s when I realized it wasn’t me only that was failing, because I do take responsibility for my actions, but I also realized it was a school that was failing me. This problem wasn’t just at my school, it was happening at many of the schools on the EastSide of Los Angeles: Garfield High School; Roosevelt High School; Wilson High school; Belmont High School; and Lincoln High School. That’s what sparked my interest and that’s what got me involved as one of the organizers at Lincoln High School to meet and organize with other schools to try to make some change. We didn’t know exactly what we were going to do at that point, but we knew we had to stand up and walk out! “
Bobby Verdugo presente!
You and Sal Castro can plot from the other side again. Me lo saluda y adelante del otro lado!
Descanse en paz!
CYLC alumni 1991