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My connection to museums and cultural institutions dates back to childhood watching my grandmother sheathing a Pa’Lante newspaper that the Young Lords Party produced for the local community in El Barrio, New York during the tumultuous 70s and 80s. The Young Lords Party designed and published an array of printed material without having access to an array of resources. One of the founding members would then be a part of the birth of El Museo Del Barrio, a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the art of Puerto Ricans and all Latin American artists. Having grown up with this narrative and experience passed down to me was what sparked my love for cultural production, archives and preserving history for marginalized communities who have had their history erased or ignored.

Many of the images included in this collection were taken by Hiram Maristany, a young photographer who captured East Harlem or "El Barrio" throughout the 70's and 80's. Hiram was the official documentarian of the Young Lords Movement who later became a part of the organization. The other photographer who photographed the Young Lords Movement was Jesse-Steve Rose, a photographer famous for his photography surrounding civil and gay right's movements in the city. The rest of the collection images are digitized newspaper's, a report on Young Lords Inc. and a wearable button. These collection items document the complexity of the movement and grassroot campaigns these young activists created throughout the 1970's. From marching on, to community gatherings and free breakfast programs so that children could eat; this is a testament to what it meant to wear a purple berret.