‘Barrio Bushido’ bridges intellect, actions

By Catherine Lee
The Guardsman

The  new book “Barrio Bushido” by City College English instructor Benjamin  Bac Sierra serves as an engine, driven by cylinders of intellect and  action, for Sierra’s empowerment movement to transform street culture  into positive educational energy.

“Barrio  Bushido” combines book knowledge, delving into abstract and critical  ideas, with street knowledge, reflecting harsh realities and life  lessons.

“Intellect combined with action leads to power and fulfillment,” Sierra said of his book’s motivational message.

The  book release party on Feb. 17 at the Mission Cultural Center was filled  to capacity. Overflowing lines of neighborhood kids, students and book  lovers waited to get a signed copy of the book.

The  event was conducted in “true Mission style, with Aztec dancers,  low-riders parked on Mission Street and poets spitting barrio wisdom,” a  Facebook page for the event said.

Sierra  doesn’t use a marketing plan, he’s got a better plan — a lesson plan.  It’s a virtual classroom for “homeboy and homegirl scholars” to  synthesize book smarts and street smarts through his public readings and  blog.

Sierra’s  lesson plans are extensive and detailed. The second chapter’s study  guide alone includes 32 thought-provoking questions.

He previewed his greater plan in his blog where “you will find the beginning of an evolutionary literary movement.”

“‘Barrio  Bushido’ transforms the urban Latino homeboy experience to a new  intellectual, educational, literary and artistic empowerment movement,”  his blog said.

Personal History

After  serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sierra enrolled at City College where  he was inspired and guided by teachers who encouraged his creative  writing.

Sierra  began writing “Barrio Bushido” as an undergrad at UC Berkeley. He  finished the book for his 2001 Master of Fine Arts thesis at SF State.

In addition to his MFA, Sierra holds a bachelor’s degree with teaching credential and a law degree.

In 2008, a tragic event changed Sierra’s life.

“My  brother passed away from an overdose. He was a really important person  to me since my father died when I was nine,” Sierra said.

He published “Barrio Bushido” in his brother’s honor.

“I thought I was done with the book when I got it out of my head, but I was wrong,” he said.

Since then, he has begun advocating the book’s example-setting life lessons.

Challenging Material

“Somehow,  disadvantaged kids got a message that being smart is bad. People have  said things to me that basically are shorthand for ‘Being smart means  being white,’” Sierra said.

The  author’s blog posts reflect his effort to reach beyond preconceptions  and challenge readers to seize the “opportunity for empowerment and  promotion of our unique intellectual and spiritual identity. ”

Sierra  believes the book is capable of inspiring a life of the mind. His  characters have “philosophical and intelligent conversations. Even  though they may speak in street language, their discussions are complex  and existential,” he said. “These are very smart characters.”
Sierra  hopes the book’s exploration of shame, pride, purpose, life and good  vs. evil will foster a worldview in which “it’s not treacherous to  think.”

As  a result of a reading Sierra did for the City College Literary Club,  City College English instructors John Isles, Amy Miles and Shawna Ryan  added “Barrio Bushido” to their curriculum.
City College students will be on the forefront of Sierra’s intellectual movement if they enroll in these English classes.

The professor in Sierra lives and loves the life of the mind. But unlike some academics, he also lives in the outside world.

His  solution to reconcile the streets with the schools is to exchange the  ivory tower for the community center, embracing the power of culture and  art, including literature.

Email:
clee@theguardsman.com