The Young Lords: A Radical History

I had correspondence with the author before she published the book. It's well written and former Lord members should be proud.

It's a rare occurrence to read a book at exactly the right moment -- not just "personally;" I'm talking about the right historical moment, as well. Fernandez's book, which chronicles the rise, growth, and ultimate dissolution of the Young Lords -- from alienated street gang, surviving in 1960s urban poverty, seeing the inequities and injustices firsthand while serving as interpreters of language and culture for their migrant parents, to internationally-known agents of change -- is a handbook for today's youth who are trying to make an impact on today's troubled society.As I write this review, there are an unprecedented number of protest actions happening in all fifty states of this country, as well as internationally, in response to the murder of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man whose death at the hands of police officers was caught on video, and is only the most recent in a long line of such killings of unarmed black men. People have broken their Covid 19 quarantines by the thousands to come out and be counted, and there seems to be an overwhelming sentiment of "Enough is enough."We're now at that crucial moment, where the talking heads have made their arguments on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and the rest. We've gone out to be counted at our local protest, unapologetically calling out for justice in the streets. Some have expressed their anger and heartbreak in more violent forms, others have seized an opportunity to create mayhem and to steal.And now comes the aforementioned crucial moment-- the "lull," as it were, that all too often ends in the placative "normalcy" that some folks yearn for -- that "Great" America that was never great for some. Complacency replaces upheaval, the status quo fills the vacuum left once the protestors put away their picket signs.This is where Fernandez's book comes in. Instead of falling prey to the overwhelming tendency toward political inertia, instead of giving in to the "pendulum theory" of American politics (that which swings too far to the right will swing back to the left again), look at the example of the Young Lords and other revolutionaries like them that Fernandez writes about. Be inspired by their victories. (I did not know, for example, that those vivid PSAs I grew up watching as a New York-area kid in the 70's warning us about lead poisoning -- a baby, about to ingest a paint chip, next to a rusted radiator -- were a direct result of the door-to-door, grassroots efforts of the Young Lords.) Similarly, their actions at the Bronx's Lincoln Hospital led to the creation of a Patient Bill of Rights.We need to be reminded in this important historical moment that political action can and will lead to change. Fernandez gives us this reminder, in an extremely well-written, readable narrative, that is exhaustively researched. She gives us not only the "victories" I've mentioned, but also provides a cautionary tale of what happens when movements lose their way, sometimes by falling prey to the very ills they're speaking up against, creating hierarchies based on ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.When, like so many other well-meaning white liberals, I posted, on Facebook, pictures of myself at our local Black Lives Matter protest, a distant cousin who lives in the UK commented "Dan, is there any hope for your country?"I responded by saying "There's something about this current movement that feels different and gives me hope."And I do believe that. I'm also concerned about the "lull" and the very real possibility of falling back into the status quo that leaves so many of my black and brown brothers and sisters on the outside, looking in, and wondering how much their lives really do "matter." As Fernandez says in her Afterword, titled "Coda: Beware of Movements:""Social movements and their organizations are not measured temporally but in terms of impact and the extent to which they shift consciousness, public debate, what's accepted, and how we live."Not only do I encourage all the young leaders emerging in this current struggle to read "The Young Lords: A Radical History," but I do so for any member of the human race who believes we can reach a better, more just and more loving version of our ourselves.

The Johanna Fernández book on the Young Lords is a significant contribution to the documented history of the Puerto Rican people in the diáspora. The book highlights the accomplishments of young activists at a time when attention to the plight of Boricuas was desperately needed. Among the achievements of the Young Lords the author describes:-The Garbage Offensive; these protests led to cleaner streets in El Barrio and other Puerto Rican communities.-The People’s Church efforts contributed to the implementation of breakfast and lunch programs for working class children and led to universal meal programs in the schools and other venues.-The lead-testing efforts contributed to universal lead-testing in children to detect poisoning caused by construction materials present in tenements and other types of housing.-The demonstrations at medical facilities contributed to the improved health-care for Boricuas and other populations in urban areas. It also contributed to the construction of new medical facilities.-The detoxification efforts: contributed to improved outreach to ensure that young people had access to counseling and medical care to reduce and, or eliminate illegal drug use and addiction.Perhaps the most important contribution of the Young Lords was the development of a heighten sense of patriotism and pride among Puerto Rican youth. The Lords brought to the forefront the colonial condition of Puerto Rico that triggered the mass exodus of its people to the United States and other countries. Fernández describes how the Young Lords led efforts to edify Puerto Ricans on the ravages of colonial rule and subjugation. The Lords did not only talk about colonialism, they took steps to try to end the scourge in the homeland by establishing chapters there. The Lords posed sufficient threat to the US authorities that the FBI and other policing agencies sought to abolish them as an organization.Finally, Fernández describes the factors that contributed to the demise of the Young Lords and other organizations that also worked for Puerto Rican emancipation and independence.Today, organizations such as the Young Lords are needed to end colonialism and block the annexation of Puerto Rico through the imposition of statehood. For many observers, Puerto Rico is currently living through the most intense form of colonialism exacerbated with the imposition of fiscal control board that manages all revenues of the island-nation. To understand the current conditions in Puerto Rico, I highly recommend this book by Johanna Fernández.Basilio Serrano – Professor Emeritus-State University of New York and author of Puerto Rican Women from the Jazz Age: Stories of Success (2019).

Most who lived through or worked with the civil rights and liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s will welcome the historical accuracy of this well-researched, well-written account of The Young Lords, a group of mostly Puerto Rican activists inspired by the Black Panther Party and American Indian Movements of that period.Those who are unfamiliar with the Lords, their fight for equality and justice, should find the book an eye-opener.The Panthers, AIM, and The Young Lords were social justice organizations plagued from their beginnings by unwarranted FBI harassment and infiltration, then closely followed by the imprisonment and murder of many of their respective leaders and more vocal activist members.Many who are aware of the nationwide liberation groups of that tumultuous era -- black, brown, American Indian -- have remained unaware of The Young Lords, as its chapters and members were not as numerous as were the Panthers or AIM, and their offices were more affiliated with the East Coast, primarily NYC and NJ, and a few large cities that had significant Latino/Latina populations.Like the other liberation movements of that time, they were targeted for destruction by the FBI's notorious COINTELPRO program. Kudos to the book's author for her thorough, accurate and often unflinching history of The Young Lords and their times.

Excellent! Filled in most of my recollection, valuable resource. Did not realize the huge impact the global had on our struggles in the innercities

Just received it today and started reading. Looking forward to learning more about The Young Lords.Knowledge is Power