In this session of BK@24FPS we will explore the activism of the Young Lords. We will question how their fight for economic, racial and social justice has changed in the present day. If we have, how have we grown? We will question how the UnionDocs’ very own neighborhood and community, which is predominantly Puerto Rican views, and continues their work today. We will watch Palante, Siempre Palante!, as well as clips of El Pueblo se Levanta, and be joined by Director Iris Morales and Comic book artist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez for our post-screening discussion.

In the midst of the African American liberation struggle, protests to end the Vietnam War and the women’s movement for equality, Puerto Rican and Latino/a communities fought for economic, racial and social justice. From the streets of Chicago to the barrios of New York City and other urban centers, the Young Lords emerged to demand decent living conditions and raised a militant voice for the empowerment of Puerto Ricans and other Latino/as in the United States and for the end to the colonial status of zation  independence of Puerto Rico.

In the late ’60s, conditions for Puerto Ricans in the US reached the boiling point. Faced with racial discrimination, deficient community services, and poor education and job opportunities, Puerto Rican communities began to address these injustices by using direct action. This film focuses on the community of East Harlem, capturing the compassion and militancy of the Young Lords as they implemented their own health, educational, and public assistance programs and fought back against social injustice. An excellent portrayal of inner city organizing in the late 60s.

Iris Morales has spent her life as an activist and educator dedicated to human rights, racial justice, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. She brings her legacy of activism to projects devoted to these issues collaborating with young people, women, and artists, and she travels nationally as a public speaker. Ms. Morales is the founder and editor of Red Sugarcane Press publishing books about the struggles of the Puerto Rican and Latinx Diasporas in the Americas. As an advocate for climate justice, she volunteers with UPROSE, a women of color led organization engaged in grassroots organizing, leadership development, and cultural/artistic expression.

Ms. Morales was a leading member of the Young Lords Party, a Puerto Rican activist group formed in the late sixties, and is the producer, co-director, and writer of the award-winning documentary, ¡Palante Siempre Palante, The Young Lords! The film premiered on national public television in 1996 and continues to be screened in classrooms and community venues across the United States and Puerto Rico. Her recent book, Through the Eyes of Rebel Women, The Young Lords: 1969 to 1976, the first account of the women members, has been enthusiastically received. 

 Ms. Morales is an attorney, a graduate of New York University School of Law, and earned an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College.

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel La Borinqueña which he self-published under his own studio, Somos Arte. Edgardo’s debut as a writer for Marvel has been received with critical acclaim similar to his initial work with Marvel as curator of two exhibitions Santerians: The Art of Joe Quesada and Marvelous Color. Via Somos Arte, he has a client roster that includes Marvel, Atlantic Records, Columbia University, and various Latino non-profits like ASPIRA of New York, El Puente and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. Edgardo was the Artistic Director of Pa’lante Siempre Pa’lante, part of the acclaimed PBS POV Documentary Series which received the Silver Apple Award from the National Media Alliance. He is also co-founder of the graphic novel publishing company Darryl Makes Comics with his business partner, Darryl DMC McDaniels.

Third World Newsreel is a media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation, and dissemination of social issue film and video made by and about people of color. Visit its website at www.twn.org.

Our monthly Brooklyn-based screening series  – BK@24fps