When they speak about civil rights movements in school, they tend to ignore the Chicano movement and the other Latinx and Indigenous rights movements throughout the country. Now, some creators are bringing a focus to moments that we weren’t taught in school like but are American history nonetheless. This is where La Voz de M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo from writer-creator Henry Barajas with art from J. Gonzo and lettering from Bernardo Brice.
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When history books erase us, a graphic novel can tell our story. In the vein of Persepolis and March, La Voz de M.A.Y.O. stands to open the hearts and eyes of readers, and the fact that it is now published by Top Cow, an imprint of Image Comics, a well-known comics publisher, helps ensure a wider release. La Voz de M.A.Y.O is an oral history of Ramon Jaurigue. Known to Barajas, his great-grandson, as Tata, the graphic novel covers Ramon’s life from orphan to WWII veteran to the co-founder of the Mexican, American, Yaqui, and Others (M.A.Y.O.) organization.
I got the chance to speak with Barajas and Gonzo about this groundbreaking work, published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics. We spoke about the importance of telling our histories as people of color who have been erased and more importantly the pressure of bringing those stories to life. Barajas details his choice to improve the negative moments in Tata Rambo’s life as well as the heroic activist ones. Gonzo dives into the influences on his art and recreating the time period in clothing and furnishings. But most importantly, they explain the importance the project means to them. So click play on the audio above and take a listen.
To keep up with the mens’ work you can follow Barajas at @HenryBarajas on Twitter and you can follow Gonzo at @jGonzoArt on Twitter or visit his website jgonzodesigns.com. For Gonzo’s other work, El Mano del Destino, you can head here.
La Voz de M.A.Y.O: Tata Rambo is available where comics are sold.
