Pinback button for the People's Church
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Activism and Organization Tactics of the Young Lords
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This page explores the radical methods used by the Young Lords in order to effect change in their local communities, particularly in New York. In order to draw attention to their cause, the Young Lords emphasized direct action and confrontation, evident in many of their protests, such as implementing the “Garbage Offensive,” barricading themselves in the First Spanish Methodist Church, and taking over Lincoln Hospital.
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“At one point in every revolutionary’s life, you have to know when to take the sword and pound it into plowshares,” Felipe Luciano said. “You do it, and you do it in a progressive manner.”
Co-founded by activists such as Felipe Luciano, the Young Lords chapter in New York utilized a bold and confrontational approach to combat the social and economic inequalities faced by Puerto Ricans and other minorities in their local community.
Puerto Rican FlagAt the forefront of their efforts was a vivid display of their identity, with the intention of asserting their cultural heritage and calling for recognition for their community. In most, if not all, of their protests and demonstrations, the Young Lords showcased the Puerto Rican flag, at one point draping it from the crown of the Statue of Liberty during the landmark’s eight-hour occupation. In the image above, we can see the focus on the flag, held by several members of the Young Lords Party as they marched through the street. This suggests an emphasis on unity and collective action, furthered by the fact that they are linking arms in the image.
“So we’re on 110th Street and we actually asked the people, ‘What do you think you need? Is it housing? Is it police brutality?’" Luciano said. "And they said, ‘Muchacho, déjate de todo eso—LA BASURA!” [Listen kid, fuggedaboutit! It’s THE GARBAGE!] And I thought, my God, all this romance, all this ideology, to pick up the garbage?”
Garbage Offensive
In mid-1969, the Young Lords recognized the lack of sanitation services in their local community—disproportionately affecting the lower class—and took action, engaging in the notable “Garbage Offensive.” They formed an initiative to clean up dirty, neglected parts of the city, and ultimately, when their efforts were ignored by the government, they took matters into their own hands. In the act of civil disobedience, the Young Lords placed the uncollected garbage in the road, set it on fire, and showed they would no longer be disrespected. Unsurprisingly, this collective action brought national attention to the issue of "environmental racism," and as evidenced in the photo above, tense police interactions ensued—a common occurrence in an era marked by civil rights and social justice movements. Eventually, however, the government improved the garbage collection process in the community.
God is not dead. God is bread. The bread is rising! Bread means revolution. Organize for a new world. Make the church a people’s church. Wash off your brother’s blood. The streets belong to the people. And the church belongs to the streets. In the midst of occupied territory, The liberated zone is here. —The New York Lords, “Celebration for a People’s Church,” 1969
Seeing their success with the “Garbage Offensive,” the Young Lords continued to fight systematic oppression with creative—and often more violent—methods. In December 1969, the group forcibly took over the First Spanish Methodist Church, which they renamed the “People’s Church” for the 11 days they were inside (and it is widely known by this name even today). As they did before, the Young Lords provided basic services for the often forgotten community, offering daycare, health services, and a breakfast program. They demanded social justice and called for solutions to the problems faced by the low-income communities, once again using imaginative means to bring attention to the inequalities they faced.
First Spanish Methodist ChurchLincoln Hospital
About six months later, in July 1970, the Young Lords occupied Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. As demonstrated in the archival video footage, they barricaded themselves inside in the early morning, and once again, displayed a Puerto Rican flag. Similar to the situation with the First Spanish Methodist Church, the Young Lords renamed Lincoln Hospital the “People’s Hospital,” and with their 12-hour occupation, they protested the inaccessibility of safe health care in the community. At the time, Lincoln Hospital was known as the “Butcher Shop,” and Gloria Cruz, a member of the Young Lords, was quoted saying, “Lincoln Hospital is only [a] butcher shop that kills patients and frustrates workers from serving these patients.” This community activism ultimately succeeded and led to the establishment of one of the first Patient’s Bill of Rights. It might be noted that this was not the only instance of a public health protest, as just a month earlier, they seized a mobile X-ray unit to test Harlem’s low-income community for tuberculosis.Conclusions
Ultimately, the Young Lords implemented a variety of activism strategies and organizational tactics to draw attention to the inequalities faced by Puerto Rican and other minority communities in the United States. From the “Garbage Offensive” to the occupations of both the First Spanish Methodist Church and Lincoln Hospital, they aimed to show that radical action can produce radical change. They brought awareness to the oppressive systems in place in the United States, using collective action and an imaginative vision to ensure that they would no longer go unchecked.
WORKS CITED
Bernico, Matt. 2020. “The People’s Church.” Geez Magazine. December 30.Breasted, Mary. 1977. “30 in Puerto Rican Group Held in Liberty I. Protest.” The New York Times. The New York Times. October 26.Felipe Luciano.” 2022. National Museum of African American History and Culture. January 11.Fernández, Johanna. 2021. “When the Young Lords Put Garbage on Display to Demand Change.” History.Com. A&E Television Networks. September 15.“A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States.” 2023. Research Guides. Library of Congress.Lee, Jennifer. 2009. “The Young Lords’ Legacy of Puerto Rican Activism.” The New York Times. The New York Times. August 24.Mthethwa, Nqobile. 2023. “July 14, 1970: Young Lords Occupy Lincoln Hospital.” Zinn Education Project. January 31.“Pinback Button for the People’s Church / Iglesia de La Gente.” 2023. National Museum of African American History and Culture.Roth, Jesse Steve. 1970. March to U.N. Photograph. New York City. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.“Sept. 23, 1968: Young Lords Founded.” 2023. Zinn Education Project. February 13.“Takeover: How We Occupied a Hospital and Changed Public Health Care | Op-Docs.” 2021. The New York Times. YouTube. October 12.“Young Lords Occupy Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.” 2022. History.Com. A&E Television Networks. July 22.“Young Lords.” 2023. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.“‘Takeover’: New Doc Chronicles Historic 1970 Young Lords Occupation of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx.” 2022. Democracy Now! January 26.
