education

Young Lords Student Conference

1946-1989, Alternative Spaces, Consciousness Raising, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Tactics of Disruption

The Young Lords established the first National Puerto Rican Student Conference, which debuted on September 22nd at Columbia University. This event marked the first nationwide consciousness-raising event hosted by Puerto Ricans since they came to the United States. The event’s goals were to conduct workshops to teach about revolutionary Puerto Rican history and culture and preach the importance of women and high school students in the revolution. People in these workshops brainstormed specific improvements for each of their respective organizations. 

“Liberate Puerto Rico Now Committees were set up around the country to publicize the fact that Puerto Rico is a colony of the united states and is controlled economically, politically, and culturally by amerikkka. The Committees will be organizing for the October 30th action at the UN to demand independence for our homeland”

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Young Lords Community Education

1946-1989, Alternative Spaces, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Latino, Privatization, Subjectives of Refusal

In a newspaper article form the Young lords, Education Lieutenant Carlos Aponte discusses the colonization of Puerto Rican education. When the colonizers landed in Guancia, they destroyed puerto Rican history books and replaced them with American education. The Young Lords refuted this erasure of history by setting up their own educational programs to aid younger generations in learning their roots and especially keeping the spanish language alive.

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Birthright Unplugged

2011-Present, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Indigenous, Self Institution, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces

Birthright Unplugged is an organization that aimed to give people a perspective on what the Palestinian people endured throughout their occupation. During this program, participants meet with Palestinian activists and other members of the community while visiting different sites. This organization is partially a response to Birthright Israel, that offers young Jewish people a free trip to Israel. Birthright Unplugged’s symbol is a form of cultural jamming by using the same symbol as Israel’s program with the colors of the Palestinian flag. Travel has become a way to disrupt a powerful institution’s injustices by creating awareness and inviting people to learn the full story. Oftentimes, these sponsored trips only offer specific narratives from a Zionist, occupier perspective. Below are just a few pictures from the very first trip. To explore more, this is the link to their website!

“When oppressed, silenced, and marginalized communities tell us their story, they are asking for something in return, asking us to take a stand as they have. To speak out as they have. To take risks, as they have. To truly listen is to know that we must truly act.”
— June Jordan

Young Lords High School Revolt

1946-1989, Authority, Black, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Latino, Self Institution, Tactics of Disruption, White Supremacy

In this document, Richie Perez from the Young Lords Party calls upon his Black and Puerto Rican community members to continue to fight for the “return of the educational system to the people.” Perez defines the common enemy as the white-run school system and advocates for a vanguard of students to come together and resist this shared oppression.


“To all our brothers and sisters in school—if your school is messed up, if the administration and the teachers don’t care and don’t teach—don’t let them force you to drop out. Throw them out. The schools belong to us, not to them. Take all that anger and put it to work for our people. Make revolution inside the schools. If the schools don’t function for us, they shouldn’t function at all!”

-Richie Perez
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The Young Lords Party: 13-Point Program and Platform

1946-1989, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Imperialism, Institutions, Latino, Self Institution, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Urban Spaces, White Supremacy

In a 13-Point Program and Platform, the Young Lords Party declared their fight for self-determination for Puerto Ricans inside and outside the United States. This program highlights the Young Lords’ dedication to an interconnected liberation of Black, Indians, Indigenous, Asian, and Latinos. Additionally, they demand community control of institutions, land, and education. They reject the American military and capitalism and urge the creation of a socialist society.

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Radical Education Project (1966)

1946-1989, Consciousness Raising, Date, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Tactics of Disruption

This document is the introduction to the Radical Education Project. It includes their objectives, beliefs, and an invitation for those also interested in accomplishing the goals they outlined. Simply put, their objectives include more research, education, and an extension of the movement itself.

“REP is an effort by activists and intellectuals to develop a research, education, and publication center designed to strengthen the movement toward a new left in America. REP invites the participation of all people who identify with the forces of radical democracy in America and abroad. We seek everyone who can make a contribution to the intellectual and educational work of research, speculation, writing, and speaking which is a necessary precondition to effective politics.”

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Soviet Churches and Schools (1919)

1840-1945, Authority, Date, Defining the Enemy, Disruptive Spaces, Institutions, Self Institution, Students, Subjectives of Refusal, Tactics of Disruption, Workers

Nikolai Bukharin – a Bolshevik revolutionary – discusses the need for not only economic liberation but also spiritual liberation of the working class and its party. He asserts that religion is a detriment to the workers’ struggle. He calls for a separation of church and state and religion as a private matter. Additionally, he states that schools must free education from capital and religion.

The worship of the souls of the dead rich was the foundation of religion…
The church was an organization of the bourgeois state…
The organs of the local workers’ authority shall have control over the schools, and shall not stint their energies in the matter of popular education, supplying to all the children and young men and young women all the knowledge which they need for a happy life.

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