Palante

"Palante is an indispensable source for learning about the history of the Young Lords and the ways in which this remarkable grassroots organization inspired and engaged a whole generation of Puerto Rican youth in New York and other U.S. cities during the 1970s to struggle for social and racial justice, for improving living conditions in their neglected communities, and for the liberation of Puerto Rico from its colonial bondage. Through the voices of several members who were part of the Young Lords' leadership and the keen photographic eye of Michael Abramson, this new edition of Palante reaffirms the power of political engagement and collective action in promoting social change. An added foreword by Iris Morales producer and director of the documentary film, ¡Palante, Siempre Palante! (1996), enriches this long-awaited new edition of Palante. In it, Morales provides a compelling, honest, and balanced assessment of the Young Lords' vision, accomplishments, challenges, and the multiple factors that contributed to the Young Lords' eventual demise. Palante is a classic publication that guarantees that the historical memory of the past struggles of the Puerto Rican civil rights movement and what has been learned from it, will remain as an inspiration to future generations of Puerto Ricans in their own quests for empowerment, human dignity, and a more equitable society."
--Edna Acosta-Belén, Distinguished Professor, University at Albany, SUNY

"Palante is a moving story about an informed and sensitive group of young change makers whose empowered voices transformed ideas about identity and politics in the late 1960s and 1970s. The updated foreword by Iris Morales is enlightening as she carefully retells the story of a love for a community and respect for people who dared to dream and then make a change in their neighborhoods. Morales reminds us through her imaginative essay how important servicing our communities was to a group of young people who became the Young Lords. She reinforces the notion of self-determination throughout the new foreword as she effectively discusses how the Young Lords carried out their work through the intersection of politics, history, the visual arts and the literary arts. In doing so Morales pays close attention to the genealogy of a movement that emerged at a complex time in our history. She shows us how important photography was to interpreting and documenting the movement. This is a compelling visual story. Her inviting prose skillfully introduces the key historical figures, the activists - the men and the women, and their work. Michael Abramson's photographs remain engaging and lively. This is a remarkable story that traces a history that begs to be revisited."
--Deborah Willis, curator, photographer, and Professor of Photography at New York University-Tisch School of the Arts; author of Posing Beauty in African American Culture (W. W. Norton)

"What makes the book not only a moving document of a significant struggle but a tool for change in itself is that it is a series of personal testaments and hard-won insights into America... Palante sets a high standard for activist photojournalism."
--A.D. Coleman, Village Voice