The Young Lords root back to the times of the Black Panthers. Inspired by the group’s revolutionary methods to get their message across, Young Lords evolved, transforming themselves from a street gang to a political activist action group. Although the group originally began with Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez, students like Mickey Melendez took the movement to a new area of focus in locations such as the New York. The East Coast chapter emphasized the unfair treatment occurring with the Puerto Ricans and the lack of resources provided to them. From poor housing, inadequate health care and sanitation services, and inferior schools in East Harlem, the group began to protest and denounce the conditions through the means of highly visible staged actions in the streets of East Harlem.

Personally, I had not previously heard of the Young Lords before. Instead, I have learned more about the Black Panthers, from whom they were inspired by. In history books and social studies classes, I have read of the tactical and radical strategies used by them to get their message across during the civil rights movement. Even though the Young Lord’s history may not be seen much in the public eye, their impact is still prevalent. Their activity from the 1970s still embodies the revolutionary spirit it was meant to entail in the first place. As a minority group, they rose to prominence as a group of activist students calling for change.

I think the movie, Millie and the Lords, portrays Young Lord’s impact in an effective way. As mentioned earlier, it is clear that although their influence was prevalent in today’s society, there are many people today who do not have knowledge regarding the group’s history. These people include Puerto Ricans and Latinos too. As a result, there are many people who feel that there has not been enough done for them. We can see these sentiments through the female character in Millie’s class. She is genuinely disappointed in how the Young Lord’s actions have not made her life easier and that she has to struggle to earn enough money to pay bills and care for her family. I think the movie captures the argumentative side effectively by showing the girl’s firsthand experience. The movie also does a good job in highlighting the cultural influence the Young Lords brought. For example, when the students are at the church of movement, the teacher discusses how the Puerto Rican students of the group were able to form a society among themselves. Together, they were able to improve the community around them by bringing change. Through pivotal scenes such as this one from the movie, we are able to get a good sense of how the Young Lord’s impact has not been entirely forgotten. Yes, they may not be as famous as groups such as the Black Panthers, but the sense of community they were able to garner among the Puerto Ricans speaks for itself.

-SK

For over a hundred years, minority groups such as African Americans and Mexicans have dealt with extreme cases of racism and violence. With much unrest and violence rooted in history, there have been many other instances where actions and movements were created to help them give them a voice. From the actions taken by groups such as the Black Panthers, or movements such as the Chicano, a new wave of change was constantly introduced to enforce their freedom and equality in the American society.

To begin, the Black Power movement was one of the first to truly emphasize the need to embrace black roots. Mostly northern and urban, this movement complemented that of the traditional rights movements introduced by leaders such as Martin Luther King. King believed that the issue of segregation was to be handled calmly through the means of civil disobedience, where peaceful protests would convey messages of enforcing change. Whether that be in the form of sit ins or walks, the southern rights movements promoted the need to demonstrate peace. The urban movement focused on practicing their rights and creating an everlasting image. By incorporating theatrical acts in their actions, they made sure their every move was memorable for the audience, both black and white.

The Black Power movement incorporated poetics and politics to get their message across. For the political aspect of the argument, groups like the Black Panthers made sure to acknowledge their rights to freedom as a citizen to make their argument stronger. For example, in the Sacramento protest, a young black person addressed themselves as “exercising constitutional right to see (my) government making laws, and (my) right under the second amendment to bear arms” (Reed 40). Additionally, built around drama and styled confrontation, the cultural front was more effective in causing a greater impact on the revolt. New messages of black empowerment and pride allowed for young individuals to embrace their culture more through the new “black aesthetic.” In different areas of the society, changes were greatly felt. For example, there was a greater admiration for music like jazz and blues. Black people began to establish their own unique culture within the country by creating new food culture like soul food, practicing holidays like Kwanzaa, and using styles/gestures like the Afro and fist raise. It was simply things like these which revolutionized the black consciousness.

Two very different types of black nationalism are also discussed which rose from the influence of Malcolm X and Leroi Jones. Malcolm X was a very vocal figure for his stance on African American’s needs to achieve freedom and equality. When he was assassinated, the famous group Black Panther was created, to resolve the problems in society and reflect pride in their history and culture. Cofounders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale both felt the importance to emphasize this need for awareness especially after suffering a past filled with hardships and adversity. They created the Ten Point Program meant to demand food, education, safety, etc for blacks. Leroi Jones on the other hand was a famous poet and playwright who rose to prominence with his works. Later changing his name to Amiri Baraka, he supported the creation of new schools for black actors.

Ultimately, the Black Panthers were destroyed by the COINTELPRO after the government began to see them as a threat to safety. After they began infiltrating their organization, the FBI charged about thirty people with capital punishment while hundreds other went to jail. Although things spiraled out of control by the end, their legacy still lies in their ability to have made such a great impact in the black culture. They took the world by storm and demonstrated their strong message to make their voices be heard.

The Mexican Americans (Chicanos) came into existence through their resistance to two wars of conquest. With the first invasion of the Spanish conquistadors, rape, concubinage, and intermarriage led to the variety of different people of all different backgrounds who make up Mexico today. Second, the tensions with United States lead to Mexicans losing their own land after the Mexican-American War. Although most Mexicans have deeper roots to these areas since the time of their ancestors, they are often discriminated and seen as the “illegal aliens.” Before the 1960s, many tried to overcome this racism by denying their Mexican and Indian side and assimilating into the white culture. However, in the 1960s, Mexican Americans were segregated in “barrios” which lead to inferior schools and services, high unemployment, and poverty. To tackle these tensions, resistance had begun amid the times of assimilation, leading to the development of the Chicano movement.

The term “Chicano” meant to announce the emergence of a new political identity, reversing the policies originally set for assimilation. The goal was to revive the cultural heritage that made them unique. One of the most prominent ways people began expressing themselves was through the mural movements. The murals were a way for Chicano and Chicana female artists to address the cultural politics in Mexico. “Reading” the mural from left to right gives strong images of an underlying message. For example, the story of La Adelita, mythical heroine of the Mexican Revolution is seen all the way to Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, the peasant turned folk heroes, and Mexican/Californian Robin Hood Joaquin Murieta. All four of these figures represented that el movimiento, helping to develop a strong sense of history.

The Chicano murals and cultures reached a wide mass of people all over. For example, in places like California, paramilitary group the Brown Berets, arose who protested the police brutality in the barrios. These people had different ideologies yet emphasized the need to get equality as they were always addressed as second-class citizens. With changing times, mural images also began expressing conveying social questions too. For example, mural images like the La Familia, show the stereotyped representations of Mexican American families, which is traditionally male dominated.

Both groups, Blacks and Chicanos, tried to convey themselves through their own unique cultures and traditions. By bringing elements of their heritage into the arts, both have left a massive impact today.

-SK

“Disappointed in the shortcomings of the external world, one may draw solace from the world within, and what one creates for oneself by other worldly means – including the work of art.” (Jackson 167)

Jackson presents his essay regarding the relationship between art and its creators in a unique way. From showing an artist as a refugee seeking his sanctuary through art, to being a person on the brink of madness looking for his asylum, the strong relationship between the two is evident. In this case, the art resembles a ritual, constantly performed in a prescribed manner.

Upon hearing the term ritual, one may immediately think of a religious activity constantly practiced by fellow followers. To some extent however, artists do see their pieces of work as a religious practice. As described in the article, “art and ritual share one compelling element: They avail themselves of the mundane images and activities in order to transform the way the world appears to us.” (Jackson 168) As the text continues, the Japanese tea ceremony of chanoyu is discussed. Traditionally, when we think of tea, it involves the preparation, pouring and drinking of it. However, if we consider the context of most rituals, special attention must be placed to bodily movement, posture, and the senses.  If we begin to realize the beauty associated with each step, we get to learn more about the object than what we originally perceived. Overall, according to Jackson, if we begin to perceive the world in more than what is merely presented to us, than we can find not only greater value in the things around us, but also ourselves.

The theme of art once again comes up in The New Yorker. Here, we see the emergence of pop culture as art and its influence through the eyes of Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin. Both men lived during the time fascism was beginning to decline. Adorno had a good life growing up, where he wanted to be a composer. Benjamin, on the other hand, had lost his idea of reality. With his family suffering too, he began having bohemian tendencies consisting of gambling, prostitutes, and drinking/drugs. While both men met in Frankfurt and became good friends, they proved to challenge each other in a positive manner. Each individual’s success in work made the other be motivated to create something new. Over time, both Adorno and Benjamin’s work  opened up a new regime of thinker. Benjamin was especially praised for his works on concepts such as “aura” which considered the here and now of the artwork in its unique existence in a particular place.

During their time, both men began seeing the early signs of the cultic aspect, almost ritual-like, nature of pop culture. Adorno was too irritated by the idea of emerging celebrities and even compared jitterbugging to “St. Vitus’ dance or the reflexes of mutilated animals.” Benjamin praised mass culture but also stated that it advanced radical politics. Many of his followers think that the means of pop culture has given voice to oppressed people.

It is ironic to see the comparison between the two articles of Jackson and the New Yorker. Both touch upon the idea of art serving as a ritual to some individuals. In Jackson’s article, art is shown in a ritualistic manner, where every action must be presented with careful thought and meaning. In the New Yorker article, we see how pop culture, another key movement to come out of art, produced criticism over the course of its evolution. In the case of Adorno and Benjamin, both had their initial hesitations regarding the widespread coverage it began receiving. As mentioned, both sides of the argument probably agree that the cultural evolution of late capitalism ushered in catastrophe and progress at the same time.

It is clear to say indeed that you either love the art or fear what it may become.

-SK