SJWB+Young+Lords

  **An Investigation Proposal ** **On the Young Lords ** **With Recommendations ** **For CYIC and ACTIVOS ** 

**Noel Estrada ** **Jessie Andrade ** **Jesel Diaz ** **Social Justice 101 ** **1st period **   Gentrification is still around today, we continue getting kicked out of our neighborhoods, schools, and also losing our jobs. Our youth today needs to focus on what’s more important for our families and for our future ahead of us. Gangs, drugs and other garbage such as these shouldn’t come before what really matters. If we put more time into trying to change something that can make a difference in not just our lives but in others as well; then maybe our future can look a lot better later on. A Grassroots Organization from Chicago named “The Young Lords” was determined to make a difference for their community after realizing how their families were being affected by gentrification and police brutality. If we follow in their footsteps we can also make a difference and become more aware of what is around us.  The purpose of this paper is to let you know how The Young Lords started and what they did to make a change. We will also let you know whether or not The Young Lords produced systemic change, what they stood for, believed in, tell what organizing strategies were/are most effective for them. Finally we will give recommendations’ that will help people in making an organization grow and be strong <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Before their attempt to take action, “The Young Lords” struggled along with their families, going through evictions and police brutality and many other things. This Chicago gang from Lincoln Park was also involved in the Division Street Riots in June of 1966. A member of “The Young Lords” named Jose Jimenez read books and articles on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X among many others. Reading these gave him a lot more knowledge on the issues that surrounded him inside and outside of his incarceration. Jimenez organized the gang into a political human rights movement; this gave them the opportunity of meeting with the “Black Panther Party”. Meeting with the “Black Panthers” gave them a better idea of how their organization should be. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">“The Young Lords” expanded all over more and more Puerto Ricans came together as a whole to make change in their communities and fight for Social Justice. Expanding from New York all the way to Puerto Rico, creating free breakfast programs for children, free health clinics, community testing for tuberculosis and lead poisoning testing, free clothing drives, and cultural events and Puerto Rican history classes. These community projects were a success all over the U.S. In Chicago dental health and community day care centers were created and work on prison solidarity for the incarcerated Puerto Ricans and for the rights of Vietnam War veterans. Women’s rights were pushed for the fight also, their goal was to help their community and educate male members. The Young Lords worked on creating change across America so quickly, more institutions were carried in such as churches, hospitals and other occupations. Overall their organization became a success. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Young Lords believed in fighting for the rights of Puerto Ricans and help to keep them safe from police brutality and from the neighborhood drug dealers. The young lords had many beliefs while they were preparing themselves; they made up a 10 point program. With 10 statements they wanted to make happen such as they wanted employment for Latinos. All jobs filled in El Barrio must be filled by residents first, using on-the-job training and other educational opportunities as bases for service and promotion, education programs for all the Latinos to expose health problems sanitation, rats, poor housing, bad nutrition, police brutality pollution, and other forms of oppression, and total control by the Metropolitan hospital community-staff governing board of the budge allocations, medical policy along the above points, hiring, firing, and salaries of employees, construction and health code enforcement <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. Strategies the young lords came up with were placing health care for those less fortunate and making sure their people can get help in any area they needed, even by making door to door visits. Other issues they addressed were for the lack of affordable housing and contributed to street clean ups to keep their community in a decent living condition. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> They founded the People’s Church and the People’s Park, and helped to organize the Poor People’s Coalition of Lincoln Park. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Young Lords helped the Puerto Ricans gain self determination and have pride in their neighborhood. By taking a stand and trying to do something positive such as these things they participated in gave them high respect among their people, even when the harassment of police continued The Young Lords didn’t give up. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Gathering ideas from everyone involved in the young lords and gaining more from the public on how they could act on certain issues led to organizing which was the next step. Becoming more involved in their community and going out educating their people on the issues around them and helping others understand why it’s important to fight for change; is a way they wanted to gain more support and help to improve their popular power. As more people became involved in the Young Lords fight, they became more confident, creating free health services child care services, among many other things which came to be a success. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Organizing and educating the community are two things CYIC and ACTIVOS should be focusing on, and creating their own 10 point program for what they want to accomplish in social justice. Following in the Young Lord’s steps is a good idea for any organization that wants to create change to do. They are a good example for our Latino youth and every community not only in our generation but those after us who want systemic change in any community that is suffering with poverty an gentrification, racism, education issues, unemployment, and other issues. We need to have grassroots organizations or groups such as these trine to make a difference for better tomorrow. 1) Create your own 10 point program with your own beliefs and improvements you want to see, just as the Young Lords did.   2)  Educate not only yourself but the community as well to help develop a more confident and improved environment. 3) Organize more protests, and explain to the community why it is important for these people to attend them.   4)  Create Flyers and Posters on certain events that will be held for social Justice just as the young lords with health campaigns for example. 5) Let the media know about our certain actions, so other people who find out about it can join and educate others, so more people who are interested in certain things such as these can give ideas and other suggestions on how to help. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Overall the young lords were determent to accomplish their goals in their community, and helped their people become more satisfied with what was around them and how they lived. Their actions gave many individuals hope and confidence in themselves Do the same thing as they did. Overall the young lords are not around today some of their accomplishments still stand today. The young lords believed in their strategies were strong enough to make a difference back then, and with others believing in the same thing with more organization can accomplished that as well today. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Bibliography ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">__http://www.hippy.com/article-210.htm/10pointprogram__ <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">[|http://www.2.iath.viginia.edu/sixties/html_docs/resourses/primary/manifestos/young_lor d_health.html] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: windowtext; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">[] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Miguel Melendez and José Torrez, We took the streets: Fighting For Latino Rights With The Young Lords, St. Martin’s Press, 2003 <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Time for a change: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The beginning of the Young Lords: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What the Young Lords Believed: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Young Lords Strategies: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What We Learned - Our Suggestions for CYIC and ACTIVOS: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Final thoughts: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">