We had the good fortune of connecting with Aurelio Bocanegra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aurelio, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
With the current political climate today, so many people have told me it’s a risk to speak out. I think it’s a bigger risk to not speak out against all the injustices happening.. What audiences will I or other comedians have if people are being illegally detained and deported without due process. Rights have been removed and so much harm has come to so many people and communities. I will not act like everything is normal because it isn’t. So in my opinion being silent is the biggest risk today. Which is why I’m choosing to use the photos of me wearing a Brown N Proud Sweatshirt in front of my family members car. It is to help show that being proud of where we come from should not be a negative or something we should hide from.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Comedian and have been for 20yrs. My bookings range from casinos, comedy clubs and large corporations that hire me to perform at private events etc. I’m also an actor. I’ve been in several movies no one has heard of. A couple commercials. Theater. But I was in an episode of Bones. Season 10, Episode 1. Sharing because if anyone watches I get a check. Every little bit helps nowadays.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Honestly I’d take them to a few of my favorite spots. Which anre mostly food based. El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights is a must! Villa’s Tacos in Highland Park. Any In-N-Out Burger. If they want upscale Mexican I’d take them to Red O in Newport Beach. We’d stop by the beach. I’d take them to Disneyland of course. Can’t come to LA and skip that. Maybe a trip to the mountains. Then Hollywood but the only reason I’m going there is to perform so they can come see me make people laugh. I’m very lucky to live in Southern California because we are surrounded by some of the best foods in the world and iconic places to visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Recently author and Historian, Rodolfo Acuna PHD passed away. He is the author of the book Occupied America: A History of Chicanos. I read this book when I was only 18/19. I don’t remember how I found it. But it was so monumental in helping me understand where my people had come from and where we were going. So much of our history has been molded to fit into a general education. Details and points lost. This book catapulted me into a new consciousness. When I took Chicano History in College I had the opportunity to read it again as part of our curriculum. I highly recommend it to any and all Chicanos.

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Image Credits
Sabrina Jurado

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