The Past and Present of the Young Lords: A Puerto Rican Social Movement
During the 1960’s a new party emerged to try to fight the injustices that Democrats and Republicans refused to address: the plight of inner-city people of color. Tired of seeing their people oppressed and suffering, the Young Lords Party emerged. Although founded by Puerto Rican people, the Young Lords fought for the rights of all under-privileged people in the United States. Originally a product of the mid 1960’s revolutionary atmosphere, the Young Lords came into being at a time when Puerto Rican people were treated as sub-human. They fought alongside many other revolutionary parties and were co-founders of the 1960’s Rainbow Coalition, which included the Black Panthers, the organization that sought self-determination for African descended people, and the Young Patriots, a gang of white youths who turned toward progressive politics.
The New York branch of the organization fought many of the most visible battles with the local government. In 1969, the Young Lords took over a church in El Barrio after New York City refused to allow it to house a breakfast program for neighborhood children. Renamed “The People’s Church”, it became a community center and a symbol of Latino/a spirit. Another famous takeover occurred at the former Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx. Tired of seeing their people suffer from inadequate doctors and of being used as human guinea pigs for new medical experiments, the Young Lords peacefully occupied the hospital and cared for the sick while offering free day care and tuberculosis detection. Peaceful actions demonstrated the group’s leadership as a legitimate party and not, as the government classified them, as a street gang.
Although the Young Lords would eventually succumb to pressure by both authorities and internal struggle over ideology, ex-members are still fighting for unity. Co-founders Felipe Luciano and Pablo Guzman have moved on to become popular television journalists for NBC 4 and CBS 2, respectively. Luciano and Guzman, once labeled by the government as potential threats to the public, now serve important roles in that same society. The leadership and wisdom of the old members of the party, combined with the energy and resolve and the young of today, continue the struggle.
|