- What is the legacy of the Young Lords Party?
The New York City Young Lords Organization, was founded by a group of mostly Puerto Rican students from SUNY-Old Westbury, Queens College and Columbia University. They were inspired by the Black Panther Party and a group called the Young Lords in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Young Lords were a former street organization that had gained national attention when they took over a local church in order to provide child care, a breakfast program and other community-oriented programs. Many of the original Young Lords had been involved in the student and anti-war movements and wanted to apply the skills gained in that work to creating a community-based revolutionary organization. The Young Lords organized both on campuses and in their communities. They continued to build an autonomous student movement, while at the same time training students to be community organizers. They recognized that the community needed to feel ownership over institutions of higher education, and fought for colleges that served their needs. And the Young Lords realized that building a revolutionary organization means investigating the issues that the community is already struggling with in some way. As revolutionaries they sought to make tangible gains on the issues the community found important.
2. Why do they matter for today?
An impactful organization such as the Young Lords is important for today because the generations that have come after and will come are ones that mirror the actions and progression of this party. As a group that advocated for their fellow Puerto Ricans, they generated a sense of optimism for a better future for the current generation. The Young Lords’ devotion and zeal towards their fight for change is something that people with a desire for a change will see as inspiration and echo it. Moreover, as a group that has a forgotten legacy, it is difficult to grasp their value but in the Latino communities, this party serves as a way out of the political, economic, and social wrongdoings carried out against them.
3. How does the film frame the answers for those questions? NOT PRESENT IN CLASS.
Sarah Shafik
