The new era Young Lords are a modern-day version of the original Young Lords

In 1968, the Young Lords as we know them today formed in Lincoln Park. Before that, they were a street gang made up of Puerto Ricans. However, under the leadership of Jose “Cha-Cha” Jimenez, they shifted toward human rights as a community-centered organization fighting for minority access to healthcare, education, housing and employment. The ranks of the Young Lords included former gang members as well as community residents and activists. They all shared a common goal of putting the community they loved first. However, their organization did not last forever. By the 1970s, they retreated from their activities due to dissension within the governing bodies of the Young Lords chapters, pressure from FBI surveillance as well as police repression.

Fast forward to today and a new era of Young Lords, co-founded by Paul Mireles, have taken up the torch to continue what their predecessors did – love their community. 

Mireles, deputy chairman and co-founder of the Illinois chapter of the New Era Young Lords, became interested in the Young Lords following now-President-elect Donald Trump’s run for the presidency in 2015. 

Following Mr. Trump’s announcement, Mireles was inspired by the art depicting the fight for social justice from the Young Lords. Still, it wasn’t until Mireles lost his stepfather to homelessness and drug abuse in 2021 that he called up the original Young Lords organizers.

“I just felt like there was more that needed to be done,” Mireles told NBC 5 Chicago. 

It is hard to imagine a New Era Young Lords without the work of the original Young Lords. For Miguel Castañeda, a postdoctoral fellow at DePaul University’s Latin American and Latino Studies Department, the importance of the Young Lords must be recognized. 

“The legacy for me, it inspired a new generation, we see that with the New Era [Young Lords]” said Mireles in an article published by WTTW. “It gave us that stepping stone.” 

The betterment of one’s community is one of life’s biggest goals. It’s why organizations such as the Young Lords and the New Era Young Lords form. Everyone strives to see their community improve and the New Era Young Lords have led the effort in Chicago.  

The New Era Young Lords have taken the mission instilled in them by their predecessors and they have not disappointed. Their work was on full display when Mireles and Omar López, an original member of the Young Lords, came to DePaul University for the Dolores Huerta Hispanic Heritage Event on October 16. 

Young Lords Organization program at DePaul University on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.

In this event, Mireles was able to share his experiences as an activist serving his community with the New Era Young Lords. 

In Humboldt Park, the organizer of a free food store named Casa Hernandez was shot. The community was in need of help distributing food. 

“That’s what the community asked and then we got involved in that,” Mireles said.

The New Era Young Lords were revealed to be no strangers to building bridges with other organizations.

In collaboration with the Black Panther Party Cubs, the New Era Young Lords are starting a joint program in Oakley Square Apartments. 

“We’re bringing the breakfast program there,” said Mireles. “As well as a self-defense and political education [class].” 

For Mireles and the New Era Young Lords, their commitment to the community is strong and is driven by a love of the community and not by a desire to merely copy the Young Lords.

Unfortunately, many in the Chicago community fail to receive the benefits that the New Era Young Lords provide. 

Tsitsiki Alvarado is a DePaul student who unfortunately lost her brother in 2018. 

“My brother grew up in a gang,” Alvarado said. She believes that if her brother had known the New Era Young Lords it could have saved his life. 

“He could’ve found a community that actually cared about one another,” said Alvarado. “The New Era Young Lords are one of many communities that took a group of people who, by the public eye, meant nothing, and turned them into something meaningful.” 

While the organization of the Young Lords has changed since the 1960s, the problems the community faces have remained similar. Food deserts, food disparity, housing issues and police terrorism are a few of the problems Mireles identifies as remaining in the Chicago community since the time of the Young Lords. Much work was needed back then to help the community and to this day they are in need of help. 

“The actors and the wording around certain politics have changed but for the most part the systematic structures are still there and still present in our community,” Mireles said.

However, Mireles and the New Era Young Lords have not shied away from this responsibility passed down from the Young Lords. They understand that the task at hand is not easy, but their commitment and love for the people keep them going.

Header by Nick Hernandez