Young Lords Party honored on 40th anniversary

Several hundred people packed an East Harlem church on Aug. 22 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Young Lords Party.

Following the example of, and with the solidarity of the Black Panther Party, the YLP was founded in New York in 1969 by Puerto Rican people. It fought against the racism, poverty, imperialism and capitalism that the youth had become politicized against.

Standing-room-only crowd cheers accomplishments of Young Lords. Photo: Roberto Mercado

YLP members each gave a brief account of their part in the struggle, from providing breakfast programs to political education and Puerto Rican history as well as leading the movement for Puerto Rican independence and socialism. The YLP occupied a hospital to provide health services, all the while defending against racist police. The standing-room-only, multinational, multigenerational crowd applauded and gave standing ovations to the many examples of the YLP’s revolutionary work. Youth were urged to follow the YLP legacy.

The powerful, moving event was held at the First Spanish Methodist Church—the Peoples’ Church, which was taken over by the Lords in one of their first actions. A solidarity message was read from Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba’s National Assembly.