Cool ReRun: The Young Lords: How Some Puerto Rican Socialists Changed Everything Part 1+2
Jan 17, 2024
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Margaret interviews Alynda Segarra from Hurray for the Riff Raff. They discuss the impact of Puerto Rican radicals on the speaker's life and music. The podcast explores the formation of the Young Lords street gang and their fight against English as the official language. Alynda talks about the Young Lords' involvement in community activism, gang unity, and their occupation of religious institutions for urban renewal. They also address sanitation issues and promote other works.
The Young Lords adopted the model of the Black Panther Party to become a powerful organization for social change.
The Young Lords engaged in community activism, mutual aid efforts, and collaborated with other leftist groups.
The Young Lords formed the Rainbow Coalition, advocating for shared interests and addressing social issues.
The Young Lords demonstrated the power of collective direct action and forced the city to improve sanitation services.
Deep dives
The Young Lords form the Puerto Rican Progressive Movement and later become the Young Lords organization
In an effort to bring about change, the Young Lords form the Puerto Rican Progressive Movement, but soon realize they need a more impactful approach. They decide to adopt the model of the Black Panther Party and become the Young Lords organization.
The Young Lords engage in community activism and mutual aid
The Young Lords actively engage in community activism and mutual aid efforts. They defend welfare activist mothers, offer childcare services, and provide support to those in need. They also work alongside the young patriots, another leftist group, to fundraise and teach drug safety.
The Young Lords establish the Rainbow Coalition
The Young Lords form the Rainbow Coalition, a coalition of various ethnic and racial groups, including the young patriots, to advocate for their shared interests. They work together to address social issues, fight for equal representation, and combat classism.
The Young Lords collaborate with the Black Panthers and other radical groups
The Young Lords collaborate with the Black Panther Party and other radical organizations to address common issues such as anti-war efforts, social inequalities, and racial discrimination. They frequently appear together at public events to demonstrate interracial solidarity and support for each other's causes.
The Young Lords: Organizing for Change
The podcast episode discusses the formation and early actions of the Young Lords organization in New York City and Chicago in the late 1960s. The Young Lords, inspired by the Black Panthers and the Cuban Revolution, aimed to address systemic issues faced by Puerto Rican communities, such as poor sanitation and racial discrimination. They started by organizing a garbage offensive, collecting trash and dumping it in the streets to raise awareness about the insufficient sanitation services. Through their actions, they not only brought attention to the problems but also forced the city to improve sanitation services and included demands for racial equity in the workforce. The Young Lords demonstrated the power of collective direct action and their ability to effect change in their communities.
Barricades and Street Parties: The Young Lords' Garbage Offensive
During their garbage offensive, the Young Lords dumped trash in the streets of East Harlem in an effort to bring attention to the inadequate sanitation services provided by the city. Initially starting with volunteer clean-ups and discussions about community issues, they escalated their actions by piling up trash on Third Avenue and other thoroughfares. This street blockage and subsequent barricading led to interactions with the police and rallies that attracted hundreds of participants. Through their direct action, they prompted the city to address sanitation problems and changed the approach to trash collection, ultimately achieving cleaner streets and increased community solidarity.
The Young Lords: Catalysts for Change
The Young Lords emerged as a radical organization that fought for Puerto Rican rights and social justice in the late 1960s. They began with initiatives like the garbage offensive to tackle local issues, such as poor sanitation and racial discrimination. Their direct actions and demands for change not only raised awareness about community problems, but also resulted in tangible improvements, including better trash pickup services and increased racial diversity among sanitation workers. The Young Lords proved that collective action and targeted advocacy can bring about meaningful change and empower marginalized communities to fight for their rights.
On this Cool ReRun, Margaret talks with Alynda Segarra from Hurray for the Riff Raff about how radicals got the trash taken out in New York, literally.
