There is little that Luis J. Rodriguez has not done in his life. The 60-year-old Chicano poet and best-selling author has been a member of a gang, faced felony charges, struggled with drug addiction, worked in various countries as a journalist, painted murals, taught prisoners, organized against war and racism, and run a cultural center and bookstore in Los Angeles.

Now he wants to be governor of California.

Rodriguez gained national fame with his 1993 memoir, “Always Running, La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.,” about his teenage years in a gang struggling with routine violence and the challenges of being an immigrant. He sold nearly half a million copies of his book and won numerous awards. His latest book is a sequel to Always Running, called, “It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing.” Today, he runs the beloved Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore in Sylmar.

Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar interviewed Rodriguez on why he is running for Governor of California. Watch a video of the interview here:

Bipasha Shom recorded this interview.