HISTORIC PLAYS

RADICALISM- REVOLUTION-RESISTANCE

 

With war raging in Vietnam, a resistance movement spread to the streets of Chicago and New York circa 1968. Streets ridden with garbage, abandoned vehicles, boarded-up buildings wrapped in graffiti and placards of anti-war messages framed the landscape of neighborhoods housing the poor, working class families, people of color and those of Latinx heritage.

 

Children are readily exposed to lead poisoning, access to public health services and emergency treatment is limited, and health inequality runs rampant.

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Police brutality is the norm and racism, and prejudice rule the day, with local government officials turning a blind eye. The grand scheme to control the undervalued neighborhoods by increasing rents by over 400%, forcing mom-and-pop stores to close, including sending Latinos “back” to their islands of origin. The conditions set the stage for the birth and organization of the Young Lords and their crusade of social justice and one-time gang member Cha-Cha Jimenez.

 

The Young Lords – The Musical © - is a stage play that tells Jimenez’s story and that of his organization, the Young Lords comprised mainly of Puerto Rican and Latinx members. It follows Jimenez from the time he is incarcerated in Chicago and introduced to the writings of Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., to the beginnings of the Young Lords Party in New York City and their dramatic takeover of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx in 1970 led by  party leader Felipe Luciano.

 

The musical, with its 22 original musical scores and diverse genres, follows a historical sequence of events. It adds a new dimension to the perception of these young radicals, and their many amazing accomplishments which impact and benefit our lives today.

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Let the story of the Young Lords inspire all those who thirst for social equality.

 

Cha-Cha Jimenez Pencil Sketch by: Tyra Crumb