Season 2- Episode 6: Magdaleno “Leno” Rose- Avila. “Jalapeño Stories”

“Jalapeño Stories”

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Tania and Peter talk to Leno about Leading because "History cannot wait".

Leno grew up in Las Animas, Colorado, one of 12 children to immigrant parents from Mexico.
He began working in the fields with his father at the early age of 11 and by 13 was traveling the Migrant Stream to various northern states.

The death of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 propelled Leno to speak out along with black and white students at the University of Colorado. This protest brought big changes in the school’s admission policies, and sports programs, and created the first programs for students of color.

In the 70s he worked with United Farm Workers were learned about the power of love over hatred and where he embraced nonviolence which would later lead to work that he would do with gangs and against the Death Penalty.

Over the years, Leno has worked with leaders such as Coretta Scott King, Dr. Joe Lowery, and Sister Helen Prejea

He has applied his leadership in his work as the founding director of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, at Amnesty International, and the Peace Corps.

His work with gangs led to the formation of HOMIES UNIDOS.

Leno is a gifted public speaker and poet. Today he works on behalf of human and environmental rights and for judicial reform.

Today Leno serves as Executive Director of BUILDING BRIDGES an innovative program that supports human rights for immigrants. This project takes activists and donations to the border to meet and support those who are fighting for immigrants and asylum seeker. These groups include DEPORTED VETERANS, DREAMERS MOMS, JUVENTUD 2000 (a shelter for mothers and children), and Al Otro Lado (an amazing legal program in Tijuana).

She would later go on to write the book entitled DEAD MAN WALKING and a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn was soon produced.

Soon he was able to organize La Mara Salvatrucha and 18th street members into an organization in El Salvador. This new and most interesting organization was called. Soon they organized gang members in Los Angeles where Alex Sanchez a former MS 13 leader is now leading this movement.

In 1996 leno moved with his family to El Salvador where while writing his book got involved with deported gang members who had generated new locals of their Los Angeles gangs in San Salvador. Leno worked with gangs and did the only in-depth demographic study of gangs by gangs and for gangs. Their study Published by the UCA of El Salvador was the first of its kind. The study had the data from 1025 interviews with gang members. Prior to joining up with UFW leno was dealing drugs, sporting two loaded pistols, and had an armed posse of about 20 Chicanos who were waiting for the revolution.

Leno learned that you need to give gang members discipline, raise their self-esteem, and connect them with a family that would give them love, and finally that they needed to have a spiritual side to their lives.

Leno never got a salary for his work with Homies Unidos. Instead, he invested his retirement fund of about $75,000 and then ran up another $30,000 on credit cards. Leno's motivation was his sister Rebecca who died a drug addict and still loved life and her family till her last breath. Leno once told Becky that she was the reason he did work on behalf of the poor and that one day he would help someone in her name.

When asked if his investment in Homies was worth it. He responds by saying IF I HELPED TO SAVE ONE LIFE THAN IT WAS WORTH IT. Besides he believes that where he is going ultimately that he will not need money or credit cards.