Reflections on this Project

When I first took on this project, I knew it was ambitious but I was passionate about my topic so I made my way to a few Young Lords related events throughout the city. At one panel at NYU, I tried to speak to Iris Morales but she was being bombarded with students flocking her that I was not able to reach her. I wondered if maybe this was the case with all the former Young Lords and that maybe my project had become too ambitious because the former Young Lords would be too inaccessible for me. I was proven wrong as I left the event and bumped into Minerva Solla and successfully obtained her contact information. I was able to interview her many months later and document her wisdom at the Nurses Union where she works. I regained some hope and kept on going.

Months later, after much research, I realized that many of the other former Young Lords were not going to respond to my emails and lost hope once again. Luckily, I found out that Mickey Melendez actually worked in the same building I was working at the time, The Brooklyn Commons. I asked one of his coworkers if he could please come down and speak to me. He shared his contact information with me and I was able to interview him at his job in a downtown courthouse. I didn't realize it would require security check and I became nervous that I would be arrested for the small pocketknife I carry in my pocket for protection. As my bag went through the scanner, the people behind the scanner asked me if I had a pocketknife in my bag. I said yes and to my surprise, all they did was hold it until I had to leave the courthouse. At that moment, Mickey Melendez shows up behind me and jokingly said, "you're not licensed to carry!" I replied, "you were in the Young Lords, you know it's rough out here and we need to protect ourselves!" He then proceeded to give me life and career advice and even offered to help me plan a trip to Cuba. I asked him to sign my copy of We Took The Streets and was happily on my way.

One thing that was very difficult for me was reaching out to people over the phone. I felt very awkward but it's a normal thing every adult who networks does. One month after I interviewed Minerva, I mustered up the courage to call the number she gave me for Olguie Robles. Thankfully she picked up right away and she immediately made time for the interview in her busy schedule as she discussed the stigma of mental health in the Latino community. Speaking to her was a breath of fresh air and I was looking forward to meeting her. I met her in her neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens and she took me to her favorite place in the world, a mini-mall that was like a small hole in the wall. The basement had a huge thrift shop, where she took me shopping after the interview, and an amazing fruit smoothie stand. Loud music was playing over the loudspeakers and I was happy to hear it in the recording. It was one of the most interesting places I had ever been to and I was so happy she took me there. Before we parted, she told me that she was adopting me as her honorary daughter and that I could call her anytime to go thrift shopping, salsa dancing, or for a chat in the park. I remembered my email exchange with University of Iowa Professor and author of books on the Young Lords, Darrel Wanzer-Serrano, who had told me that Olguie was his favorite person in the world. She definitely became one of my favorite people in the world as well.

I am eternally grateful to myself for sticking to this project not only because I accomplished what I set out to do but also because of the amazing people I met and connected with throughout the course of this journey. Everyone was very helpful and willing to participate and it made me realize how important their stories are. They are very receptive to young people asking them questions because they want their stories documented. These are important stories that need to be told in a world that tends to silence strong women. Moving forward, I'd like to continue this project because this work is not over. I'd like to challenge myself and ask more critical questions about gender and feminism within the world of activism. In the meantime, these are my findings about a few of the most influential people I have ever met.