Legacy courses through the veins of a multitude of generations, superseding the previous, yet its power can only be accessed through knowledgeability. The Young Lords, a street gang turned national civil and human rights organization, has paved a road in uncharted territory for Puerto Rican immigrants. Through education, perseverance, and a collective consciousness, they were able to reach reform for their communities across the United States. The film, Millie and the Lords, their legacy is focused primarily in New York City. In the late 1960’s sanitation reform, as well as social reform, swept the communities, yet as their legacy lives on, full justice has not been brought to the Puerto Rican community.
Formed by a group of college students from Columbia University, SUNY-Old Westbury, and Queens College, a five-year plan has been established: you either be free, go to jail, or die, as the movie stated. The need for this type of determination manifests itself through the film’s cinematography. Reform is still needed in low income communities due to the copious amounts of social issues. Discriminatory stop and frisks, the absence of insurance, frequent thefts and burglaries, impossibly low wages, alcohol dependency, gang activity, and minimal college opportunities stump the growth of these communities and give off the illusion that nothing can be done. The uninformed public is conditioned to believe that change is impossible to attain and their voices and wishes will never truly be heard. Thus, one may see where the tactics of the Young Lords can be applicable. By uniting, speaking out, and participating in activism change is possible.
Today, the Young Lords give a sense of unity and pride to the people. Without a collective sense of identity, one would “continue to accept oppression”. Knowledge is a big threat to the establishment and an inconvenience to the oppressor. The Young Lords were infiltrated from within, where factionalism was promoted by pitting group members against one another, stumping the efficiency of their campaigns. Nowadays, by believing that class is not multiracial and focusing on class a subcategory of race, the same factions form.
According to Mouffe, communities have set needs that should be easily accessed by any citizen, regardless of race or class. Some basic rights cannot be denied, and public safety, access to community centers, and decent job opportunities could fall under that category. Throughout the film we see the protagonist struggle with finding money to bring home, battling the danger of the streets at night, the cutting of hours, and domestic abuse which all holds the possibility to shift once there is a call to action. The Young Lords from the 60’s may not be around now, yet their legacy to unite and fight lives on. A shop owner in the film even said, “If it weren’t for them [The Young Lords], I don’t know where I would be.”
V.B.
