Questions to Think About

1. Jesus Colon: A Writer Who Changed our WorldWritten by Carmen I. Mercado, Hunter College School of Education

2. Questions to Think About • How do Jesus Colon’s writings reflect the times in which he lived? • What writers share Jesus Colon’s interests and ways with words? • How can you use this information to motivate student learning?

3. Take double entry notes • Fold a paper in half. • Jot down facts of interest in one column and questions or comments in the other. • Review your notes and circle important ideas at the end.

4. A Childhood Filled with Words

5. Jesus Colon was born into a working class family in Puerto Rico on January 20, 1901. He was born in Cayey, a tobacco growing area, three years after the Spanish American War.Puerto Rico went from being a Spanish colony to being a colony of the United States.

6. As a young boy, Jesus was mesmerized by the oratory of readers hired by cigar makers. The resonant voices of skilled performers entertained and informed workers as they engaged in the tedious work of rolling cigars.

7. The words of Jesus’ first teachers made their way through the windows of the Colon home and ignited a life-long passion for the written word.

8. Becoming a Man of Letters

9. As a student , injustices called Jesus Colon to action and his use of words proved powerful in fighting all kinds of injustices.

10. Whether writing or speaking, Jesus Colon’s simple, compelling prose won admiration from peers and respect from teachers.

11. It came as no surprise that he was named director of the school newspaper and president of the school’s literary society.

12. The Journey North

13. After Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, many arrived on the south Brooklyn waterfront aboard commercial steamers.

14. Among them were some of the best artists and composers of the island.

15. Jesus Colon made the five day journey aboard the S.S. Carolina, working all the way to New York.

16. When he arrived, Jesus went to live with his brother Joaquin, not far from the Brooklyn waterfront where the S.S. Carolina docked.

17. Jesus and Joaquin

18. It was here that the first Puerto Rican community in New York City was established and where Jesus established his home.

19. Letters to Concha

20. Jesus wrote frequently to his sweetheart in Puerto Rico. Written conversations between lovers give insights into their relationship and family gossip.

21. The letters also provide a glimpse into what life was like in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century.

22. Today, these letters are part of the historical record of how small town people from the tropics adjusted to a large northern city, with an unfamiliar language and a different way of life.

23. Letters from Home

24. Hard Jobs, Poor Wages

25. During the Great Depression jobs were hard to come by and wages low. This was also a time of intense racial discrimination and violence. Jesus Colon worked at many menial and dangerous jobs while attending night school at Boys High.

26. Jesus Colon learned about the dangers workers faced in the city.

27. “Easy Job, Good Wages”

28. Making Time to Write

29. “It is always more interesting to live than to write,” said Jesus Colon’s friend, and Colon did both with passion. He never earned a living as a journalist but Colon wrote for several Spanish language papers in New York and Puerto Rico at the same time.

30. By 1950, Colon had regular columns in English, in labor and community newspapers. He wrote articles and news commentaries as well as poetry, short stories and anecdotes.

31. However, Jesus Colon was masterful in the use of the cronica of chronical to relate important events to the community in an engaging and affecting manner.

32. Translating a Way of Life

33. Jesus Colon was bilingual by circumstances of birth. However, he worked hard to develop his bi-literacy. This special skill allowed him to chronicle how Puerto Ricans shaped and were shaped by the history of New York City from his unique vantage point.

34. “A Puerto Rican in New York and Other Sketches,”published in 1961, is the first book written in English by a Puerto Rican about the experiences of Puerto Ricans in New York City.

35. “A Puerto Rican in New York and Other Sketches” is both a collection of human interest stories and a social history of New York.

36. The Internationalist

37. Jesus Colon was a life-long advocate for the rights of all workers, inspired by early experiences with cigar makers in Puerto Rico.

38. He was drawn to internationally progressive movements, especially in Latin America. He learned first hand that workers in all parts of the world shared a common cause.

39. He also knew that political power was key to creating better opportunities. Thus, he ran for numerous public offices, including comptroller, city councilman and assemblyman.

40. Jesus Colon and Local Labor Leaders

41. The Nationalist

42. Colon wrote about many topics, but his constant concern was the social and economic conditions of Puerto Ricans in New York City and on the island.

43. Colon was keenly aware that the migrants quest for equality in the United States could not be separated from Puerto Rico’s ambiguous relationship to the United States.

44. A Quiet Man with Strong Convictions

45. Like many writers of his time, including Langston Hughes, Jesus Colon was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy period.

46. His response was simple:“I will not cooperate with this committee in its aim to destroy the Bill of Rights and other constitutional rights of the people.”

47. Affinities with Other Writers

48. Colon’s work is reminiscent of Walt Whitman and Zora Neale Hurston. But it was Langston Hughes, also a light-skin mulatto, who had much in common with Colon.

49. Langston Hughes and Jesus Colon…

50. 1. Were active in New York’s Black and Latino communities. 2. Portrayed the lives of ordinary people 3. Wrote about racial injustices.4. Wrote in English and Spanish.