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US Latinx Activism and Protests: From the Farm to the (Legislative) Table Art produced during the Chicanx Movement Abstract: In the midst of change, The Chicanx Movement was a monumental time for Mexican Americans in the United States during the late 1960s. The movement addressed the social, economic, and political inequalities experienced by Mexican Americans across the nation. Aimed to celebrate and acknowledge cultural pride and identity, the movement also sought to reclaim and celebrate Mexican and Mexican American history, art, and culture. The Chicanx Movement played a significant role in shaping the Latino identity and influencing subsequent social justice movements, and the artwork produced during this time allowed for many to voice their opinions on the political and social climate of the U.S during the time. LA Demonstrations During the Chicano Movement Abstract: The Chicano Movement was a movement that involved Mexican-Americans all over the United States and was a crucial component to establishing civil rights for Latinos. While Chicanos living in the United States were at the focal point of discrimination in society, they figured that it was best to come together and establish a sense of familiarity in order to combat these racial remarks and disadvantages. To spark attention to their cause and movement, many Chicanos participated in numerous demonstrations and while many were peaceful, many considered them as radical. By Steve, Lexi, and Ricardo Bracero Program In this project we will be analyzing a number of facets of the Bracero Program with a specific focus on the causes, on both sides of the border, which culminated in the agreement. Consequently, we will explore the historical context of the US and Mexico of the first half of the twentieth century, including the impact of the Mexican Revolution as well as the dire situation brought about by the second world war. By utilizing this basis we will then analyze the “migration aspect” entailed by the program, travel from Mexico to the US and various territories. Not only as an in depth look at the agreement, but also as a necessary foundation. One which will permit the Bracero Program to be positioned in history, while simultaneously deepening the exposition and understanding of a largely forgotten case of large-scale abuse and exploitation. We anticipate this will form the backbone of the examination of bracero experiences: first-hand accounts and testimonials.. By Fernando, Joy and Lizeth Guatemalan Genocide & Its Dark Truth This page will focus on the Guatemalan genocide, a period of brutal violence that brought tremendous adversity to those indigenous communities residing in the rural areas of Guatemala. It will provide details regarding the atrocities that the Mayan people experienced, the trauma that was left behind, and the hardships that they continue to face today. Furthermore, it will demonstrate how this heinous period of history fostered activism and social movements in Guatemala. By Paola Chavarria and & Aurora Nieves Chicano Farm Worker Movement In this project, we will be discussing about the Chicano Farm Worker Movement and how it brought change to not only farm workers but to society as a whole. We will be focused on the working conditions of farm workers prior and after the movement, notable or influential leaders, and the communities that were fueling the movement. By examining their struggles, successes, and legacy, we wanted to provide a better understanding of the process needed to advocate and bring forth social change for a marginalized group of people. Last, we wanted to remove stereotypes and other misconceptions about the movement in creating a more equitable society. Por: Justin Bui, Kristi Kang, Jenniffer Young Las "Brujas" Feministas: Magazines, Art, and Television This project intends to provide a comprehensive analysis of women's representation in different mediums such as art, television, and fanzines. In this way, the goal is to understand the gender stereotypes that women have had to overcome from a feminist perspective. Through this discussion, the hope is to amplify women's voices to promote inclusive and equitable representation in society. By Claudia Mejia, Janet Landa, Diana Andrade Walkouts and Protests in Los Angeles On our page, we will discuss the walkouts and protests that took place within schools and communities across Los Angeles. The school protests happened because Latino students wanted to see a change in the education system. Some of the changes Latino students wanted to see implemented were hiring more Chicano professors and administrators, having more Chicano Studies classes in higher education, and overall being treated better without discrimination or judgment. In the 1960s, high school students faced racism and discrimination, which included a lack of education and insufficient school buildings in comparison to those of white students in the area. Walkouts famously took place at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles, where there was a large population of Latino students. In 1993, college students also faced a lack of Chicano education when budget cuts put the Chicano classes at UCLA at risk of being shut down. This led to a hunger strike, where UCLA students protested and ultimately helped to establish the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o Studies. In the years leading up to 1965, Latino and Black communities also protested because they wanted to see a change in the way they were treated. The Black community finally had enough in 1965 and the Watts Riots happened, which in the end led to positive changes in their community. By Sydney Schwinger, Vanessa Harris, Jazmin Chavez

The Origin and Early Presence of the Young Lords Party

This page illustrates the history and initial activism of the Young Lords Party. Modeled after the Black Panthers, the Young Lords consisted of BIPOC citizens of Chicago and Harlem, primarily the poor and working-class Puerto Rican youth who aimed to be a voice for minorities and provide them equal access to healthcare, employment, education and housing while simultaneously launching platforms for Puerto Rican independence. Their first successful campaign is known as the "garbage offensive" and it encapsulates the YLP's desire to advocate for people at a community level first.

Origin of the YLP
The Young Lords Organization (YLO) was a group formed originally in Chicago in 1968 by Puerto Rican youth who hoped to give a voice to minorities who lacked access to housing, healthcare, education, and employment. Its members consisted of Latino/x, African American, LGBTQ, and female-identifying individuals. The Young Lords aimed to revolutionize civil rights for all people, particularly marginalized groups on the East Coast. Some of their biggest platforms included the independence and freedom of Puerto Rican people, political prisoners, and the retraction of military troops stationed in both Puerto Rico and Vietnam. They lofted their organization with a 13 Point Program which outlined their rules, values, and liabilities. Eventually, the YLO extended to other cities on the East Coast, most importantly New York City where a chapter of the YLO was established by university students who renamed the group the Young Lords Party (YLP). Although their goals were tremendous in ambition, their method was rooted in the well-being of their local community and therefore their impact paralleled their grandeur objectives.

Black Panther Influence
This militant civil rights group based itself on the Black Panther Party, which started in Oakland, in 1966. As a result of the Black Panther Party's advocacy for self-defense violence against the police and open-carrying of guns in addition to the imprisonment of its group leaders—Bobby Seale and Huey Newton—people often recall the group as threatening. However, this group is also known by many people of color for their initiatives in community service and programming, something that heavily inspired the YLP. With the creation of "community survival programs" the Black Panther Party was able to repurpose abandoned infrastructure and turn it into centers for childcare and resource distribution.

Additionally, the Black Panther Party used its voice and momentum to advocate for a variety of minority groups and situations of disparity. Namely, education for welfare children, wrongful incarceration of people of color, and racism within systems of law and school in America. They did this via local campaigns, newspaper publications, press conferences, and demonstrations. At the left is an image of one of the aforementioned printed publications. The Young Lords used this model of activism to inspire their own initiatives, hence the occurrence of the Garbage Offensive in New York City in 1969.

Below is an image of one of the press conferences the Young Lords Party hosted which falls in the likeness of the BPP, the Puerto Rican flag is front and center.

Garbage Offensive (1969)
In the summer of 1969, many East Harlem activists were exhausted by the unsanitary, unlivable conditions they were surrounded by. Uncollected, rotting trash would remain in the street for several weeks at a time, sweeping was a moot point and the capacity for trash in receptacles was negligent considering the proportion of people who occupied these neighborhoods. After having asked the city for help with sanitation, the workers offloading more garbage in the streets, and asking the city for the tools to clean their community on their own, they took it upon themselves to take a stand and advocate for the suffering masses. The "garbage offensive" was the first campaign that this group of people organized and executed, it is a perfect example of how their impact and efforts to make a difference were rooted in their community first. Members of the YLP spent days sweeping up the uncollected trash and relocating it to sidewalks in anticipation of sanitation workers removing it. This was to no avail, so they began placing the garbage in the middle of the streets, adding in old furniture and appliances to the mess. The Young Lords believed that the city's refusal to help them out was indicative of racism held by the city's inner-Italian-working-circle.

“Coffee grounds and discarded milk containers…Garbage is also…the squalor that surrounds burned-out buildings and rubblestone lots, which kids play in because the playgrounds have gone to seed, while rats dance and junkies shoot up. Garbage is refuse dumped into ghetto areas by unscrupulous, often mob-controlled private carting companies who sometimes drop hazardous medical and other industrial wastes while looking for a short end run.” - Pablo Guzman

The "garbage offensive" is just one example of the way in which the Young Lords Party launched their organization off of the ground. Through the model of the Black Panther Party and the overlap of its members with the newly formed activist group, the Young Lords created a consortium of people and values that successfully changed the lives of many.

Conclusion (Early Impact of the Young Lords)
The Young Lords Party quickly made an impact on the community around them and people in general during the 1960s and 70s. The YLP was a catalyst for young leaders, artists, and professionals to participate in the Puerto Rican cultural renaissance that was occurring in New York City at this time. Among enduring victories within the realm of access to healthcare, their impact was bountiful. We will learn about their ideology, goals, tactics, organization, legacy, and accomplishments as we move through the rest of this chapter.

Bibliography

“Black Panthers Press Conference.” 1969. Calisphere. January 21, 1969. https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/hb35800504/.

Fernández, Johanna. 2021. “When the Young Lords Put Garbage on Display to Demand Change.” HISTORY. September 15, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/young-lords-garbage-offensive.

Jim Westcott. 2018. “A Brief History of the Young Lords, Puerto Rican Activist Group.” ThoughtCo. 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/young-lords-history-4165954.

Older, Daniel José. 2019. “Garbage Fires for Freedom: When Puerto Rican Activists Took over New York’s Streets (Published 2019).” The New York Times, October 11, 2019, sec. New York. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/nyregion/young-lords-nyc-garbage-offensive.html.

The Black Panther Party. 1969. “Panthers Assassinated by US Organization.” The Black Panther: Black Community News Service, January 25, 1969.

The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. n.d. “Young Lords | Chicago, History, Black Panthers, & Facts | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Young-Lords.

Thurber, Maria. n.d. “Research Guides: A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States: 1968: The Young Lord’s Organization/Party.” Guides.loc.gov. https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/young-lords-organization#:~:text=Modeled%20and%20inspired%20after%20the.

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Contents of this path:
1. The Origin and Early Presence of the Young Lords Party This page illustrates the history and initial activism of the Young Lords Party. Modeled after the Black Panthers, the Young Lords consisted of BIPOC citizens of Chicago and Harlem, primarily the poor and working-class Puerto Rican youth who aimed to be a voice for minorities and provide them equal access to healthcare, employment, education and housing while simultaneously launching platforms for Puerto Rican independence. Their first successful campaign is known as the "garbage offensive" and it encapsulates the YLP's desire to advocate for people at a community level first.
2. Ideology and Goals of the Young Lords This page details the Ideology and Goals of the Young Lords, which will open up analysis and discussion of what this party believed in and what they were trying to achieve with their actions and public outcries. In this page, I will be discussing the Young Lords ideology and goals as a whole, utilizing propaganda, pins of membership, and analysis younger generation education tactics to further justify my descriptions and reasoning.
3. Activism and Organization Tactics of the Young Lords 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.
4. Legacy and Impact of the Young Lords

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This page references:

Black Panther Party; Black Community News Service Publication This is an image from the Black Panther's News publication on January 25th, 1969. It is a statement to the Black community from the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Throughout the publication there are stories of the political assassination, advocacy for Indian rights, welfare children's rights, students of color and the wrongfully incarcerated. There are also inspiring images decorating the publication. This image is just an example of one page that was included in this publication, however the print in its entirety was a total of 23.
Photo of Denise Oliver
Black Panther Party Press Conference
Felipe Luciano Sweeping Above is a cropped portion of an image of the Young Lord's co-founder Felipe Luciano, caught sweeping garbage along a sidewalk in El Barrio, which is located in East Harlem, New York City, New York. I chose to zoom in on the broom he was using and the act of sweeping as opposed to the environment or mass change that was occurring in order to note the heavy-hands-on role each member of the YLO played in their activist initiatives.
Young Lords Party Rally A black and white photograph of the Young Lords Rally at Tompkins Square Park in 1969. On stage from left to right are Georgie Garcia, Herman Flores, Felipe Luciano, Gabriel Torres, Unknown, Pablo “Yoruba” Guzmán, and Georgie Lemus. Unknown, Tony Rosa, Carlos Aponte, and Jose “Pi” Diaz stand from left to right in front of the stage. A large group of unidentified men and women sit in chairs below the stage. A Puerto Rican flag can be seen behind the stage.
The Young Lords: Puerto Rican Struggle in the US