Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party

Revised Edition with New Introduction by Dr. Jacqueline Lazú

A powerful reclamation of the vital activism of women in the Young Lords Party, who fought for gender equity, racial justice, and Puerto Rican liberation.

In the late 1960s, the Young Lords sparked a radical movement through community organizing, bold direct action, and mass protest. They fought for the rights of Puerto Ricans in the United States and an end to U.S. colonial rule in Puerto Rico. Women played essential roles in these efforts, yet their contributions have often been marginalized.

Revisiting Herstories: The Young Lords Party presents the first comprehensive account of the women members who challenged the stance, prevalent in revolutionary nationalist groups at the time, that gender concerns were secondary. Instead, feminists in the New York chapter advanced a vision of collective liberation that placed the struggle for gender justice alongside nationalist goals.

Written by Iris Morales, a former leading member, the book blends archival research, political analysis, and personal reflection to document how women organized for social justice, Puerto Rico's independence, and gender justice. Expanded with new historical context, this edition delves more deeply into the tensions between feminist aspirations and nationalist goals.

This revised edition features an introduction by Dr. Jacqueline Lazú, the principal scholar on the Chicago Young Lords. Her contribution brings critical insight into the book's major themes and broader significance, centering its feminist, anti-colonial, and intersectional framework, and examining the dynamics of power and accountability in radical movements.

During this transformative era, women in the Young Lords joined with African American, Latina, Asian, and Indigenous feminists, helping shape an emerging intersectional politics that confronted racism, colonialism, and patriarchy. Drawing from socialist and Third World feminist traditions, they led campaigns for reproductive freedom, equal pay, access to childcare, and the eradication of gender-based violence, while building transnational solidarity with liberation movements across the globe.

Grounded in historical inquiry, collective memory, and critical reflection, Revisiting Herstories recovers an overlooked chapter of U.S. and Puerto Rican activism. Grappling with questions that remain urgent, it offers a powerful account of feminist struggles on multiple fronts. Speaking to activists, scholars, and students of Puerto Rican history and movements for justice, the book draws on the past to inspire a more just future.