Environmental Racism and the Young Lords

Abstract

The Young Lords movement, formed in the early 1960s in the United States, played a key role in raising awareness about the environmental racism that affected the most vulnerable groups in American society. With actions to combat the lack of regular garbage collection that accumulated in the streets and lands of the Harlem neighborhood, especially in East Harlem where the Puerto Rican community was concentrated, the Young Lords drew the attention of the media to the problem Restroom. The mobilization against the health crisis through the action called “Garbage Offensive”, reflected the awareness of the environmental racism practiced by the public power against Puerto Rican immigrants in New York City.