By Dr. Priscilla Falcón
Book Review By Deborah Martinez Martinez
The late Ricardo Romero, well-known Chicano activist, was imprisoned because he refused to testify before a federal grand jury and was subsequently sentenced to three years in Federal prison for criminal contempt. Prison Diaries: Ricardo Romero includes two interviews that capture Romero’s commitment to internationalism and his views on history, racism, and the Chicano Mexicano experience in the occupied territories.
Ricardo Romero was the National Coordinator of the Mexican National Liberation Movement, a charter member of those who founded the Crusade for Justice, Denver, CO, and a supporter of the Puerto Rican Liberation Movement (la Liga Socialista Puertorriqueña).
He protested the Vietnam War at the 1970 Chicano Moratorium in Los Angeles, CA, and coordinated the Crusade for Justice support for the resistance at Wounded Knee in 1973.
In 1977, Romero was arrested and imprisoned for civil contempt of court and released when the Grand Jury expired. He, along with 29 others, refused to testify before a grand jury investigating the Puerto Rican Independence movement. He was imprisoned at the Metropolitan Correctional Center MCC, Chicago, Illinois, and released after the grand jury expired.
He was known for practicing internationalism and solidarity with active resistance movements inside and outside the US. Romero was keynote speaker at Guánica, Puerto Rico, sponsored by the Liga Socialista Puertorriqueña (1978), and also spoke in New Mexico at the National Conference of Solidarity, and many others.
In 1984, Romero turned himself in to federal authorities in Denver to begin serving a three-year sentence for federal contempt of court. He was incarcerated at 11 different federal prisons throughout the three years.
Author Dr. Priscilla Falcón recorded two interviews of Romero’s life and resistance in September 1986 after his release from prison which forms the basis of this book. He detailed his experience of resistance to FBI investigations of the Puerto Rican Independence movement. Romero died in April 28, 2023.
While the book doesn’t describe all of these events, the timeline at the beginning of the book gives the context of his life actions. Under “FBI Investigations,” Ricardo’s involvement in the Hispanic Commission of the Episcopal Church describes the funding activities to La Clinica del Pueblo, Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, the Puerto Rican Alternative High School, Chicago Illinois.
The 71-page book is published by Vanishing Horizons and is available for sale at www.VanishingHorizons.com., or ask your library to purchase it.
Mario I. Santa Cruz-Martinez, santacruztattoos@gmail.com, is the artist who drew illustration on the cover.
