Civil Rights and Beyond: African American and Latino/a Activism in the Twentieth-century United States PDF
Preview Civil Rights and Beyond: African American and Latino/a Activism in the Twentieth-century United States
CIVIL RIGHTS AND BEYOND This page intentionally left blank Civil Rights and Beyond African American and Latino/ a Activism in the Twentieth- Century United States EDITED BY BRIAN D. BEHNKEN The University of Georgia Press Athens © 2016 by the University of Georgia Press Athens, Georgia 30602 www .ugapress .org All rights reserved Set in Minion Pro and Futura by Graphic Composition, Inc., Athens, GA Printed and bound by Sheridan Books The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Most University of Georgia Press titles are available from popular e‑book vendors. Printed in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 p 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016930747 ISBNs: 9780820349169 (hardcover : alk. paper) | 9780820349176 (paperback : alk. paper) | 9780820349152 (ebook) CONTENTS 1. African American and Latino/ a Activism(s) and Relations: An Introduction Brian D. Behnken 1 2. From the “Next Best Thing to One of Us” to “One of Us”: Edward Roybal, Gilbert Lindsay, and Racial Politics in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s Kevin Allen Leonard 20 3. Civil Rights “beyond the Fields”: African American and Mexican American Civil Rights Activism in Bakersfield, California, 1947– 1964 Oliver A. Rosales 42 4. Beyond 1959: Cuban Exiles, Race, and Miami’s Black Freedom Struggle Chanelle Nyree Rose 63 5. Internationalizing Civil Rights: Afro‑ Cubans, African Americans, and the Problem of Global Apartheid Mark Malisa 86 6. “We Need to Unite with as Many People as Possible”: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords Organization in Chicago Jakobi Williams 105 7. “A Common Citizenship of Freedom”: What Black Power Taught Chicago’s Puerto Rican Independentistas Dan Berger 127 8. “Justice Now! ¡Justicia Ahora!”: African American– Puerto Rican Radicalism in Camden, New Jersey Laurie Lahey 152 9. Forgotten Residents Fighting Back: The Ludlow Community Association and Neighborhood Improvement in Philadelphia Alyssa Ribeiro 172 10. The Next Struggle: African American and Latino/ a Collaborative Activism in the Post– Civil Rights Era Brian D. Behnken 195 11. Rainbow Reformers: Black‑ Brown Activism and the Election of Harold Washington Gordon Mantler 217 12. Southern Solidarities: U.S. Civil Rights and Latin American Social Movements in the Nuevo South Hannah Gill 241 Contributors 263 Index 265 CIVIL RIGHTS AND BEYOND This page intentionally left blank CHAPTER 1 African American and Latino/ a Activism(s) and Relations An Introduction BRIAN D. BEHNKEN In June 1968 José “Cha‑ Cha” Jiménez founded the first chapter of the Young Lords Organization (ylo) in Chicago. One of the most vibrant Puerto Rican civil rights organizations in American history, the ylo quickly spread to New York City, Philadelphia, and other locales.1 Jiménez, a confidant of Fred Hampton, the leader of the Chicago branch of the Black Panther Party (bpp), modeled the ylo in part on the Panthers. The Young Lords fought against police brutality and “slum” clearance programs and for medical service for the poor, among other things. The group also pioneered alliances with other activist groups of the period, including the bpp and the Chicano Brown Be‑ rets. These alliances, however, proved tentative and ultimately short lived. As Jiménez recalled, government infiltration and oppression caused people in these groups to start “turning on each other. . . . There were splits every‑ where, splits between the student groups, the Black Panther Party, and a split between the Young Lords Party [in New York City] and the Young Lords in Chicago.” Harassment by the Chicago police and the Federal Bureau of In‑ vestigation (fbi), and especially the murder of Panther leader Fred Hampton, decimated coalition building at this time.2 Jiménez and black‑ Latino/ a coalition building reemerged only a few years later, however, in a rebuilt political alliance. Tapping into the activist net‑ works of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jiménez ran for a seat on the Chicago City Council and, though he lost, garnered significant support from Lati‑ nos and African Americans. A few years later he was still coalition building, this time uniting behind the 1983 mayoral candidacy of Harold Washington, who also built on the coalitions of the 1960s and 1970s. Latino/ as and Af‑ rican Americans propelled Washington to victory.3 Chicago, therefore, is a
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