Washington DC— As reported at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Museum of the American Latino under pressure by Latino conservatives has pulled an exhibit that would have highlighted youth movements, such as the activism of the Young Lords and environmental organizing after Hurricane Maria. This erasure of factual history —through politically forced omission— is unacceptable.
There is no question that the Young Lords were a pivotal force in the history of the Puerto Rican Diaspora and shaped policies and practices for the better in US cities. They showed Boricuas how to claim our Blackness, work in solidarity, and unapologetically defend our rights.
The revelation of this latest attempt to erase our community’s history and impact comes as we prepare to remember the thousands we lost after Hurricane Maria and during largely silence around the 125th anniversary of the US invasion of Puerto Rico. In states like Florida, our community has had to push back against the elimination of a children’s book on baseball legend and humanitarian Roberto Clemente, and in Texas, we also had to protest a Latin American literary event excluding Puerto Ricans.
It is the duty of Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and allies to vocally stand up against this erasure, in the way our ancestors fought for the visibility of our flag. Otherwise, we can surely expect even more egregious attempts to omit truths about our experience.
We insist that the Smithsonian not participate in the dilution, distortion, or omission of the Young Lords and the Chicano, Mexican and immigrant rights movements that are part of this exhibit.
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