Overview

In the late 1960s, the Young Lords mobilized for the rights of Puerto Ricans in the United States and the end of colonialism in Puerto Rico. Women members brought attention to gender issues, ushering in a new militancy for women's rights. They organized campaigns to end sterilization abuse and gender violence and for the right to abortion, equal pay, and childcare, among other issues. Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party is about activism. It is also about the battle of ideas. It examines the rise of feminism in the organization from 1969 to 1972 and the factors that advanced or derailed it. The Young Lords embraced principles of independence, revolution, and socialism. The organization demanded an end to capitalism and racism but did not demand an end to sexism. At the outset, the Young Lords' nationalist ideology upheld inferior roles for women and deemed gender concerns secondary. The interplay between these ideas and the aspirations of feminists in the organization influenced the political agenda. Feminists in the Young Lords advanced revolutionary ideas and practices that charted new ground in the Puerto Rican diaspora. Connecting the experiences of women in and outside the United States, women in the Young Lords identified as internationalists and anti-imperialist. During this seminal period for US feminists of color, women in the Young Lords Party allied with Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous activists, uniting to fight for economic, gender, and racial justice. They recognized that the inequities facing women of color were not solely the result of gender but the outcome of intersecting social locations and the legacy of history. Feminists of color rejected prioritizing gender oppression over racism, and vice versa, Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party fills overlooked chapters in the social movement histories of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Intertwining first-hand accounts, primary sources, and research, this book presents a multifaceted and more nuanced account of the Young Lords' history. It interprets the past, grappling with concerns that are still very much present.

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Reviews

EDNA ACOSTA-BELEN, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University at Albany, SUNY summarizes: Iris Morales makes an important addition, giving due recognition to the transformative work that audacious visionary women can accomplish through unwavering determination, shared solidarity, and collective action. Morales continues to be an inspiring voice to new generations of Puerto Ricans eager to learn about their history and legacy of struggles for social, racial, and gender justice in US society and to forge ahead in giving continuity to those battles. BARBARA RANSBY, Professor, writer, longtime activist, and author of the award-winning Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement comments: Puerto Rico has been the site of resistance to colonial domination for generations, with struggles against racism and gender injustice intensifying in recent years. Iris Morales brings experience and talent to elevate the voices of Puerto Rican feminists. This book is about the heroic struggles of the Puerto Rican people but is a must-read for all of us fighting, hoping, and working for a more just future everywhere. DEBORAH PAREDEZ, Poet, scholar, cultural critic, author, and a professor of creative writing and ethnic studies at Columbia University writes: Iris Morales-organizer, writer, freedom fighter, filmmaker-offers us an expansive and illuminating herstory of the revolution within the revolution enacted by the women of the Young Lords. This book continues her decades-long work of creating urgent feminist interventions in prevailing histories of the freedom movements of the 1960s and 70s. Revisiting Herstories is at once a vital documentation of the past and a roadmap guiding us toward a radical future.

Author Information

Iris Morales is a longtime activist, educator, media producer, and author. Over several decades, she has been involved in movements for social justice and human rights with a focus on economic and racial justice, women's rights, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Morales has created programs at the intersection of social justice and media as a tool for change and has founded several organizations dedicated to youth media education. As founder and editor of Red Sugarcane Press, Morales brings her love of community and history to produce books and projects about the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Americas. Her anthologies include Voices from Puerto Rico: Post-Hurricane Mar�a, inspired by her trip to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to assist with the launch of a fund to bring resources and financial support to grassroots communities. This bilingual collection of writings from activists and artists brings attention to local organizing efforts. Latinas: Struggles & Protests in 21st Century USA is a collection of poetry and prose reflecting on women's lived experiences in the United States and how Latinas advance gender justice. During the 1960s and 1970s, Morales was a leading member of the New York Young Lords, serving as deputy minister of education, co-founder of its Women's Caucus and Women's Union, and co-leader of the Philadelphia chapter. Morales brings a feminist perspective to documenting the organization's challenges, setbacks, and accomplishments. She is the producer, writer, and co-director of the award-winning documentary, �Palante, Siempre Palante!, which was broadcast on public television in 1996, and continues to be screened in classrooms and community venues across the United States and the Caribbean. A native New Yorker, Morales holds a JD degree from New York University School of Law and an M.F.A in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College.

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