José Montalvo

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José Luis Montalvo (September 9, 1946 - August 15, 1994) was a Chicano writer, poet, and community activist. José Luis Montalvo was born September 9, 1946 in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, México, and moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1957. A year after graduating from Fox Tech High School in 1966, José Montalvo joined the Air Force where he was stationed in The Netherlands. In 1969, Montalvo was transferred to Laredo where he was reborn a Chicano and began to get involved in political and community issues. After much anticipation, Montalvo was honorably discharged from his military duties in 1971. Montalvo returned to San Antonio, where he attended San Antonio College and St. Mary’s University. Montalvo ran for State Representative in 1974, under the Raza Unida Party.

José Luis Montalvo authored several books of poetry including Pensamientos Capturados (1977), ¡A MI QUE! (1983), Black Hat Poems (1987), and Welcome to My New World (1992).

José Montalvo has been described as the People’s Poet, performing anywhere from his favorite local bars to universities around the country. Best known for his satirical take on the Texas Sesquicentennial, “What the Sasquash-centennial Means To Me!” (1986), this poem led to a loss of city funding for the Chicano arts journal "VíAZTLAN", which published the controversial piece. It was during the 80’s that Montalvo became known to the Chicano world as The Black Hat Poet, the bearded Resistol cowboy hat-wearing, beer-drinking poet who wore starched blue jeans and a lizard earring, not the mental picture of what comes to mind when one thinks of a Chicano.

José Montalvo was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in July of 1990. Doctors gave him only a few months to live. Montalvo battled his disease for over four years. In addition to receiving traditional medical treatment, Montalvo pursued his own alternative treatment regimen consisting of vitamins, herbs, and a vegetarian diet. José Luis Montalvo died August 15, 1994 at the age of 47.