Louis Reyes Rivera

“Always there is need for song… And every human has a poem to write..." - From the esteemed essay “Inside the River of Poetry,” by Louis Reyes Rivera.

Louis Reyes Rivera (1945–2012) was a fellow Puerto Rican born in Brooklyn, New York, and already a legend when I reached out to him and asked him to speak at my organization's first writer's conference.  In 1969, it was Mr. Reyes Rivera that fueled the CCNY student movement that led to the creation of the Ethnic Studies Department, he also cofounded "The Paper," the first newspaper run by Puerto Rican and African American students at the school.

Louis Reyes Rivera’s well-known devotion and work in matters of social justice led to his extremely active role as a union organizer.  He was also instrumental in helping to establish the Freedom Party, and was also involved in the Writers for Mumia initiative.

Affectionately referred to as the "Janitor of History", Rivera’s many honors, and awards included a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Special Congressional Recognition Award, and the CCNY 125th Anniversary Medal. Committed to the progressive and political power of jazz as well as poetry, Rivera appeared at dozens of jazz clubs and festivals and was inducted into the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame.

One of his best known works is a 150-page epic poem "Jazz in Jail" that he was able to finish just before his passing in 2012. In a Spring 2009 interview with Eric Serrano, Rivera explained its purpose: “This project began roughly seven years ago. What happens if Jazz (personified) gets busted and put in jail? For what? For trying to stand against the exploitation of music by the music industry… For trying to bring together all of the music that comes out of the Diaspora—Reggae, Samba, Mambo, Calypso, Merengue, Hard bop, Cool bop, Be bop, the Blues, Mother Blues (the mother of Jazz), Grandpa Dirge, Grandma Praise Song, Work Song, Birth Song, the Chant—into one huge convention of the music, a family reunion – Let’s discuss our condition… So I had an opportunity to pay homage to poetry and music, to show you the conditions inside a prison and inside the court room, and I could even trace the history of it.”

So it was that this talented, accomplished poet, writer, essayist, historian and activist came to my writer's conference and blew everyone away with his eloquence,  and his mastery over words. I will always be grateful to Mr. Reyes Rivera for his presence at the conference, and many of us should be grateful for his many positive and creative contributions to the people of New York City, and for the community of persons of color in general. Wepa!