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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d991bdc873cb7e6fbf630c88dfa695c.pdf
474d67f25abdfeaf1db10739d7bf9551
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Young Lords
In Lincoln Park
Interviewee: Charlyne Martínez-Villegas
Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez
Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections
Date: 6/5/2012
Biography and Description
Charlyne Martínez-Villegas came to Grand Rapids, Michigan from New Jersey where she loved it
because there were many Puerto Ricans. In Grand Rapids she was only one of a few. Another reason
that she loved New Jersey is that that is where her mother and father were still married. She explains
that as soon as their family arrived in Grand Rapids, her parents divorced. Her mother worked hard
trying to make ends meet, preparing homemade pasteles that people would order from her ahead of
time and then she would have to have them ready at all hours of the day or week. Eventually her
mother’s homemade business led to opening up a small restaurant on Grandville Avenue which is
always filled with patrons. In Grand Rapids, Ms. Martínez-Villegas began to get in trouble at school and
in the neighborhood on the southeast side of the city, by Garfield Park. She missed her friends back in
New Jersey and in school “she just did not fit in…the kids were mostly white, or black.” She explains that
she could relate a little better with black children because they shared a lot of things in common. She
also missed her father. The Young Lords were passing out flyers door-to-door. But they did not use the
name “Young Lords” publicly. Instead they called themselves the “KO CLUB.” And they had a way with
words. She explains that they had to read some pledges and phrases and everything began with KO:
“Keep Open Your Hearts” or “Keep Standing Up for Yourself” or “Keep Open Your Mind.” Their meetings
were held in a United Methodist Church, and the heads of the KO Club were Pastor Marge Berman, who
�was of Mexican descent, and Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Members of the Club were also shown
several videos about the Young Lords.The young people who participated in the Club and the small
congregation were supportive. But there were a few within the church who did not like the Young Lords,
who had taken over Methodist Churches in New York and Chicago. Those same individuals also did not
like Pastor Berman, who was new and wanted more interaction with the community. Pastor Berman had
read a newspaper article about the Young Lords while Mr. Jiménez was working as a substance abuse
counselor for Project Rehab. She contacted him by phone. And when they met for the first time, Pastor
Berman told him that he was sent by God. To which Mr. Jiménez replied, “Did God send any money?
Because I have bills.” Mr. Jiménez did want to organize and help youth, but he wanted to do so around
issues related to the Young Lords. Pastor Berman just wanted to save souls. It was a good
understanding, but Mr. Jiménez would have to work incognito because using the name Young Lords
name would be like saying the word “gang” in Grand Rapids. The KO Club worked well because it was
not an after school program. It was an “in the neighborhood program.” It was focused on youth like Ms.
Martínez-Villegas who did not want anything to do with school. And while others were saying to all
youth who got in trouble, “Lock them up and throw away the key.” the KO Club had their own public
slogan: “Support Youth For A Change.” Parents had to get involved, because the KO Club would visit
them in their home and let them know that they were not babysitters. Once a month parents would
attend amateur night where the KO CLUB members would perform for them and the rest of the
community. Organizing was constantly being done door-to-door. KO CLUB was like a good gang and
everyone was a member. Their colors were black and purple, but their symbol was a heart with KO in
the middle and a cross above the heart. Once a year there was an annual dinner with the community
where many members of the United Methodist Church attended including the Bishop. It was cost
effective as it was run more like support groups divided by age: pee wee, juniors, and seniors. They
would all have a chance to express themselves in a variety of ways, including discussion, with music, or
in sports. The only problem came from the adults. Some wanted to make it more ecumenical to include
the community at large and others wanted the organization to be more faith-based. Still others wanted
control. And Pastor Berman was moved to a church in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Jiménez was left
alone, fighting church elders who were paranoid that Mr. Jiménez might want to speak for the church.
Mr. Jiménez understood their fears and resigned in an amicable way. The youth program continues
today and it is being run more privately within the church. Ms. Martínez-Villegas says that it is what she
needed then with the loss of her father, and that participating in the KO Club turned her life around.
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ba5ddc01fb42fc0c9e0a5807d2e22bc4.mp4
1f1c89e8fef4bf4cecd1b956396ac77f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Young Lords (Organization)
Puerto Ricans--United States
Civil Rights--United States--History
Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.)
Personal narratives
Social justice
Community activists--Illinois--Chicago
Description
An account of the resource
Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives.
The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Jiménez, José, 1948-
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2017-04-25
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-65
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
2012-2017
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Charlyne Martínez-Villegas vídeo entrevista y biografía
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
Young Lords (Organización)
Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos
Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia
Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.)
Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales
Justicia social
Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago
Source
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-65_Martinez-Villegas_Charlene
Title
A name given to the resource
Charlyne Martínez-Villegas video interview and biography
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Martínez-Villegas, Charlyne
Description
An account of the resource
Charlyne Martínez-Villegas came to Grand Rapids, Michigan from New Jersey where she loved it because there were many Puerto Ricans. In Grand Rapids she was only one of a few. Another reason that she loved New Jersey is that that is where her mother and father were still married. She explains that as soon as their family arrived in Grand Rapids, her parents divorced. Her mother worked hard trying to make ends meet, preparing homemade pasteles that people would order from her ahead of time and then she would have to have them ready at all hours of the day or week. Eventually her mother’s homemade business led to opening up a small restaurant on Grandville Avenue which is always filled with patrons. In Grand Rapids, Ms. Martínez-Villegas began to get in trouble at school and in the neighborhood on the southeast side of the city, by Garfield Park. She missed her friends back in New Jersey and in school “she just did not fit in…the kids were mostly white, or black.” She explains that she could relate a little better with black children because they shared a lot of things in common. She also missed her father. The Young Lords were passing out flyers door-to-door. But they did not use the name “Young Lords” publicly. Instead they called themselves the “KO CLUB.” And they had a way with words. She explains that they had to read some pledges and phrases and everything began with KO: “Keep Open Your Hearts” or “Keep Standing Up for Yourself” or “Keep Open Your Mind.” Their meetings were held in a United Methodist Church, and the heads of the KO Club were Pastor Marge Berman, who was of Mexican descent, and Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Members of the Club were also shown several videos about the Young Lords.The young people who participated in the Club and the small congregation were supportive. But there were a few within the church who did not like the Young Lords, who had taken over Methodist Churches in New York and Chicago. Those same individuals also did not like Pastor Berman, who was new and wanted more interaction with the community. Pastor Berman had read a newspaper article about the Young Lords while Mr. Jiménez was working as a substance abuse counselor for Project Rehab. She contacted him by phone. And when they met for the first time, Pastor Berman told him that he was sent by God. To which Mr. Jiménez replied, “Did God send any money? Because I have bills.” Mr. Jiménez did want to organize and help youth, but he wanted to do so around issues related to the Young Lords. Pastor Berman just wanted to save souls. It was a good understanding, but Mr. Jiménez would have to work incognito because using the name Young Lords name would be like saying the word “gang” in Grand Rapids. The KO Club worked well because it was not an after school program. It was an “in the neighborhood program.” It was focused on youth like Ms. Martínez-Villegas who did not want anything to do with school. And while others were saying to all youth who got in trouble, “Lock them up and throw away the key.” the KO Club had their own public slogan: “Support Youth For A Change.” Parents had to get involved, because the KO Club would visit them in their home and let them know that they were not babysitters. Once a month parents would attend amateur night where the KO CLUB members would perform for them and the rest of the community. Organizing was constantly being done door-to-door. KO CLUB was like a good gang and everyone was a member. Their colors were black and purple, but their symbol was a heart with KO in the middle and a cross above the heart. Once a year there was an annual dinner with the community where many members of the United Methodist Church attended including the Bishop. It was cost effective as it was run more like support groups divided by age: pee wee, juniors, and seniors. They would all have a chance to express themselves in a variety of ways, including discussion, with music, or in sports. The only problem came from the adults. Some wanted to make it more ecumenical to include the community at large and others wanted the organization to be more faith-based. Still others wanted control. And Pastor Berman was moved to a church in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Jiménez was left alone, fighting church elders who were paranoid that Mr. Jiménez might want to speak for the church. Mr. Jiménez understood their fears and resigned in an amicable way. The youth program continues today and it is being run more privately within the church. Ms. Martínez-Villegas says that it is what she needed then with the loss of her father, and that participating in the KO Club turned her life around.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Jiménez, José, 1948-
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Subject
The topic of the resource
Young Lords (Organization)
Puerto Ricans--United States
Civil Rights--United States--History
Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.)
Puerto Ricans--Personal narratives
Social justice
Community activists--Illinois--Chicago
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012-06-05