The Young Lords was a national civil rights organization that was created in order to empower and bring equality to the lives of Puerto Ricans and Latinos. In similar fashion to many civil rights organizations, the Young Lords believed in the self-preservation of their culture. I order to determine the continued existence of their culture and lifestyle, they promoted mass-educations programs along with community programs in order to empower Latinos while trying to enrich their unjust lives. In addition to promoting liberation for Latinos, the Young Lords were also severely opposed to racism. As a basis for many of their ideas, the Young Lords looked upon their 13 Point Program which included many of their ideals such as equality for all men and women despite their race and ethnicity.
The Legacy of the Young Lords is one filled with utmost belief in one’s culture and lifestyle despite the views of the society. As seen by the actions of the Young Lords, education and self-preservation was most important to the revolution they sought to bring about. Their ideas of anti-racism and equality for all are of great importance in today’s racism-filled society. For example, the focus on education on the part of the Young Lords helped set an example for the youth of today in order to make them realize the importance of education towards making a change in society. Through education the Young Lords were able to defy the society’s racist ideals and their legacy promotes the same message, urging individuals to embrace their culture despite the societal indifference to their struggles.
The film, Millie and the lords, is set in the present climate of a divided society where people of color are looked down upon. The film begins with highlighting the difficulties facing the Latino community. It highlights the poverty that the Latino community deals with. For example, Millie is a young woman who cannot attend college because she does not have the resources to afford to pay for college. She struggles to get enough working hours so she may help her father with rent, who struggles as well, working long hours as a janitor. However, the movie promotes the legacy of the Young Lords as it switches its focus towards education. As Millie starts to learn about the Young Lords, she begins to turn her life around. Additionally, her fellow classmates begin to see the need for a revolution in order to change their situation and they realize that change begins with them. The movie combines the legacy of the Young Lords with the overall message to the youth, urging them to realize the message that “the biggest threat to establishment is knowledge.” This is the ultimate driving force of the movie as it also promote the ideal that through education, people can unite themselves and bring about a change.
S.Q
