Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. Celebration @ Creole Gallery, Friday, August 18 @ 8 PM
My dear friend, Ruelaine Stokes, the coordinator of the Old Town Poetry Series, sent me this email today, which I am passing on to you:
Right now in the Lansing Area, poets and musicians … are organizing a performance event to celebrate the life of Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. and to raise money for his family. The event will take place on Friday, August 18, 2006, at 8 PM at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner Street in Lansing.
Trinidad died without health insurance — of a massive stroke at age 63. His wife has been quite ill this past year. Our plan is to collect as much money as we can on Friday night and send it down to San Antonio with Rina Risper, who will be attending the memorial there for Trinidad on Sunday, August 20. Rina will give our contributions to Regina Chavez y Sanchez, Trinidad’s wife. Similar benefits are taking place in San Antonio, Denver and Detroit.
Sort of like Johnny Appleseed, Trinidad traveled around the country planting the seed of poetry in the hearts of anyone he met—rich or poor, women or men, old or young, black, white or brown. He was a real minstrel, an artist from the inside out.
What impressed me so much is that he took the time to visit every poetry group in Lansing that he could — the Chicano poets, the black poets, the white poets, the young poets, the old poets. He wasn’t afraid to cross the social borders, and he was just an awesome poet.
If you are unable to join us, and you want to contribute something to his family, you could send a check to:
Regina Chavez y Sanchez
2803 Fredericksburg Rd. #1215
San Antonio, TX 78201But do join us! It will be a real celebration — not only of Trinidad — but also of our own capacity to “shine” and to sing our truth with a powerful voice. That is what he wished for all of us.
I will see you all there!