Independent Journalist, Activist John Ross Dies
And the independent journalist, activist and poet John Ross has died.
Ross covered social movements in Mexico and Latin America for nearly 50
years. He authored 10 books, including his latest El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City. In a Democracy Now! interview last April, Ross talked about how he first came to the Mexican capital.
John Ross:
"I went to Mexico in 1957 with a number of younger Beat poets. We were
much younger than the Jack Kerouacs and Allen Ginsbergs. We were about
15-well, not so much younger than Allen, but certainly than Kerouac and
Burroughs. We were about 15 years younger. But we had contact with them
in New York. I come from the Village. I was born in the Village, and my
contact was always with poets and artists, and came to Mexico in 1957,
returned in 1958. And I didn't go on the road. I mean, all the Beats
were always on the road. I came and stayed. And I lived for seven years
in a small indigenous village in the mountains of Michuacan. And truly,
you know, I've been very close to the Zapatista movement during the last
16 years. And I could have not been close to the Zapatista movement, if
I hadn't spent so many years living in an indigenous community and
understanding the dynamic of indigenous life in rural Mexico."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
And the independent journalist, activist and poet John Ross has died.
Ross covered social movements in Mexico and Latin America for nearly 50
years. He authored 10 books, including his latest El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City. In a Democracy Now! interview last April, Ross talked about how he first came to the Mexican capital.
John Ross:
"I went to Mexico in 1957 with a number of younger Beat poets. We were
much younger than the Jack Kerouacs and Allen Ginsbergs. We were about
15-well, not so much younger than Allen, but certainly than Kerouac and
Burroughs. We were about 15 years younger. But we had contact with them
in New York. I come from the Village. I was born in the Village, and my
contact was always with poets and artists, and came to Mexico in 1957,
returned in 1958. And I didn't go on the road. I mean, all the Beats
were always on the road. I came and stayed. And I lived for seven years
in a small indigenous village in the mountains of Michuacan. And truly,
you know, I've been very close to the Zapatista movement during the last
16 years. And I could have not been close to the Zapatista movement, if
I hadn't spent so many years living in an indigenous community and
understanding the dynamic of indigenous life in rural Mexico."
And the independent journalist, activist and poet John Ross has died.
Ross covered social movements in Mexico and Latin America for nearly 50
years. He authored 10 books, including his latest El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City. In a Democracy Now! interview last April, Ross talked about how he first came to the Mexican capital.
John Ross:
"I went to Mexico in 1957 with a number of younger Beat poets. We were
much younger than the Jack Kerouacs and Allen Ginsbergs. We were about
15-well, not so much younger than Allen, but certainly than Kerouac and
Burroughs. We were about 15 years younger. But we had contact with them
in New York. I come from the Village. I was born in the Village, and my
contact was always with poets and artists, and came to Mexico in 1957,
returned in 1958. And I didn't go on the road. I mean, all the Beats
were always on the road. I came and stayed. And I lived for seven years
in a small indigenous village in the mountains of Michuacan. And truly,
you know, I've been very close to the Zapatista movement during the last
16 years. And I could have not been close to the Zapatista movement, if
I hadn't spent so many years living in an indigenous community and
understanding the dynamic of indigenous life in rural Mexico."

