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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1d2c838ae29d67e07635f3c9a23a381e.pdf
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Young Lords
In Lincoln Park
Interviewee: Alfredo Matias
Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez
Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections
Date: 4/2/2012
Biography and Description
Alfredo Matias is the happy son of Doña Carmen García and a Young Lord going back to the mid-1960s.
Mr. Matias joined the Young Lords during the Month of Soul Dances at St. Michael’s Church Gymnasium
in Lincoln Park. Those neighborhood dances were held for four consecutive Saturdays and the Young
Lords purchased 40, 30-minute advertising slots on the radio to announce the dances. The affairs were
so well attended they were overfilled each night. Monies from the dances were used by the Young Lords
to purchase their club sweaters, which were to be all black with a violet stripe along each shoulder –
colors chosen from the film, “West Side Story.” The film had special significance for young Puerto Ricans
at the time because it was the only public movie of its day that portrayed Puerto Ricans living in the
United States, however problematically. A white, armor shield patch was sewn near one of the side
pockets. The letters “YL” in old English font were marked on the patch as well. Mr. Matias lived in
Lincoln Park and also in Wicker Park for many years. He saw both communities evict their primarily
Puerto Rican residents. For years, one could see Alfredo sitting in the park at Schiller and Damen Ave. or
walking along North Avenue, Milwaukee, Damen, and Division Streets. He would always be humble,
respectful and friendly, and his favorite past time was not whistling but “throwing flowers or
compliments at the ladies.” Mr. Matias has always been dedicated to his heros Don Pedro Albizu
Campos and Lolita Lebrón, and has performed his many poems at the nightclub “Weeds” and several
�other venues for free. A few of his poems include, “El Coquí,” “ El Grillo y La Luna,” “Sin Titulo,”
“Characters of my Poetry,” “Ponle Titulo,” and “Just a Poem.” Mr. Matias says that he was expelled
from school at 13 years of age, from Puerto Rico at age 15, and from the U.S. military at 17. He was
forced from the military because he refused to accept an order that would have sent him to Cuba to
fight alongside other Puerto Ricans in the Bay of Pigs invasion, against the sovereignty of Cuba. He said
then “that he was not going to ever fight in a war against a Latino nation.” The expulsion from the
military has caused him much suffering, including being denied any veteran’s benefits. Mr. Matias grew
up in Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico. SabanaSeca is a barrio of Tao Baja, 14 miles west of San Juan. It used to
house primarily a pineapple and grapefruit plantation called the “Stephenson Place,” but the 2250 acres
were acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, the property was turned over to the
U.S. Army and then back to the U.S. Navy. Since the 1898 military occupation of Puerto Rico by the
United States, six military installations have been established in Puerto Rico: one in the offshore island
of Culebra, another in the island of Vieques, and four others including Roosevelt Roads, Salinas, Fort
Allen, and Fort Buchanon. Today Mr. Matias is home in Puerto Rico, content to be by his mother’s side,
and still writing his poetry, “proud to be a Puerto Rican and a Young Lord to the bone.”
�
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e91315b64b93feb316f1fbb1a4ba8623.mp4
9cf0338c08ee47bf8a93d7435f280b22
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
Alfredo Matias 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
Veteranos--Relatos personales
Artes, Puertorriqueños--Illinois--Chicago
Puertorriqueños--Illinois--Chicago--Vida social y costumbres
Religión
Iglesia Católica
Racismo--Estados Unidos
Relaciones raciales
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_Matias_Alfredo
Title
A name given to the resource
Alfredo Matias video interview and biography
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Matias, Alfredo
Description
An account of the resource
Alfredo Matias is the son of Doña Carmen García and a Young Lord going back to the mid-1960s. Mr. Matias joined the Young Lords during the Month of Soul Dances at St. Michael’s Church Gymnasium in Lincoln Park. Mr. Matias lived in Lincoln Park and also in Wicker Park for many years. He was forced from the military because he refused to accept an order that would have sent him to Cuba to fight alongside other Puerto Ricans in the Bay of Pigs invasion, against the sovereignty of Cuba. Mr. Matias grew up in Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico. Today Mr. Matias is home in Puerto Rico, content to be by his mother’s side, and still writing his poetry.
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
Veterans--Personal narratives
Arts, Puerto Rican--Illinois--Chicago
Puerto Ricans--Illinois--Chicago--Social life and customs
Religion
Catholic Church
Racism--United States
Race relations
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
2012-04-02