The New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation

The Young Lords was a multi-ethnic, though primarily Nuyorican, liberation organization that formed in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem) in July of 1969. Responding to oppressive approaches to the health, educational, and political needs of the Puerto Rican community, the movement's revolutionary activism included organized protests and sit-ins targeting such concerns as trash pickups and lead paint hazards. The Young Lords advanced a thirteen-point political program that demanded community control of their institutions and land and challenged the exercise of power by the state and outsider-run institutions.

In The New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation, Darrel Wanzer-Serrano details the numerous community initiatives that advanced decolonial sensibilities in El Barrio and beyond. Using archival research and interviews, he crafts an engaging account of the Young Lords' discourse and activism. He rescues the organization from historical obscurity and makes an argument for its continued relevance, enriching and informing contemporary discussions about Latino/a politics.


Author: Darrel Wanzer-Serrano
Publisher: Temple University Press
Published: 06/12/2015
Pages: 244
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9781439912034
ISBN10: 1439912033
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States | 20th Century
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | Hispanic American Studies

About the Author
Darrel Wanzer-Serrano is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at The University of Iowa, and editor of The Young Lords: A Reader.