Breaking the chains of oppression
Well-rounded professor opens doors of opportunity for Chicano/as
by Jonathan Kuenne
The Metropolitan

If you haven’t yet met a professor here at Metro who is an activist, published poet, leader, excellent teacher, and who is also Chicano, you are about to.  Meet Ramon Del Castillo. 

Ramon, who was included in the spy files, has been an activist since 1973. 

“I met and interacted with several activists and was very influenced and touched by their work and their sense of social justice,” Del Castillo said. 

Ramon served on the board of directors of English Plus––the social reform to defeat Amendment 31.  Prior to the elections, polls showed great support for Amendment 31.  Ramon played an important role in the defeat of this amendment by educating the community about its downfalls. 

“I’ve been writing poetry since 1973, more serious since the later seventies,” Ramon said. “I had been influenced by many poet-activists that came out of the struggle of the ’60s.” One of those poet-activists is Metro professor Abelardo Delgado.

In addition to creating opportunity through activism, Ramon continues to open the doors for young poets in the community once a month .

Ramon is a published poet and uses his leadership abilities to host a community event named Passing the Baton, which has been meeting for the past four years. 

“It’s a bunch of local poets coming together and sharing their work––inviting anybody and everybody to come and read,” he said. “We always try to get youth there.  A lot of students that come are asked to do their work in their schools.  I hope that we help them find themselves in poetry.”

Ramon has been a professor in the Chicano/a studies and sociology departments at Metro since 1983. He also teaches non-profit management at Regis University. 

“I always knew I wanted to teach and I always knew that the first day I stepped into a Chicano Studies class that it was something where my passion would be driven.  Chicano/a studies has been my ultimate passion,” Ramon said during an interview last Wednesday. 

Del Castillo grew up in Wichita, Kan., where he graduated from high school and attended a semester at Sacred Heart College.  He left after one semester to work in a packing house.

“I then transferred to Wichita State University, dropped out from culture shock, then got my draft papers a few days later,” he said. 

Fortunately, Ramon was not thrown into the front lines. 

“I stood stateside, I lucked out,” Ramon said. 

Photo by - David Merrill Ramon Del Castillo, a Metro Chicano Studies professor, served on the board of directors of English Plus, an organization that was instrumental in the defeat of Amendment 31.

He would later use his draft experience to give back to the community. 

“I ended up doing my first master’s degree on social sciences. My area of concentration was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Chicano Vietnam Veterans,” Del Castillo said, “I felt like it was a way of giving back.” 

Ramon said statistics show that about two out of every 10 Chicanos will earn a bachelor’s degree, one of every 10 will earn a doctorate. However, Ramon didn’t stop with just one master’s, he continued on and earned a second M.A. in public administration. He received both degrees from CU-Denver. 

“I wanted a doctorate––I knew that,” Ramon said. 

At the time Ramon was planning his doctorate, there were very few Chicanos in the school of Public Affairs.  But Ramon took up the task to earn his doctorate, and once again open more doors of opportunity.  He became that one Chicano out of 10 to earn his doctorate, which was in Public Affairs. 

Ramon remembers the single moment that he decided to continue his education. 

“It was snowing cats and dogs,” Ramon said.  It was the first night of class at the University of Northern Colorado; Ramon was in his Chicano studies class. 

“I remember that first class intellectually opened up my mind.  I knew from that point on that this would become my passion.  I walked home and meditated because my car broke down—my car didn’t irritate me because I had been thinking so much,” he said. 

That single moment would change Ramon forever; it inspired Ramon to open doors of opportunity for others. 

For the future, Ramon plans to continue writing, seek out happiness through social justice, and to change lives. 

Ramon Del Castillo— activist, published poet, leader, and excellent teacher—has opened doors of opportunity for many, and will continue to do so.