Why, how, and where did Latinxs build a freedom movement in the sixties?  

How did it intersect with the civil rights, black power, and other movements of the era?  What conditions and historical contexts propelled the movement? How did it expand the meaning of democracy for all? Who are Latinos? What are their origins in the US? 

Join us in New York at CUNY’s Graduate Center for a two-day conference that will bring together veterans of the Latinx Freedom Movement of the 1960s, graduate students, faculty, archivists, and the public. 

Thursday,
April 9

Illustration of a raised fist with a bouquet of colorful flowers emerging from it, symbolizing empowerment and resistance, on a teal background.

Voices of the Movement

From Aztlán to Boriquén: The Global Struggle Against Empire

From The Mendez Decision to the Student Walkouts: The Struggle for Equal Education

The Chicago Young Lords

Land and Indigeneity in the Southwest

Anti-War and the Chicano Moratorium

Women in the Movement

Labor and the Humanization of Farm Workers: The Grape Strike of 1965

  • Thursday, April 9 

    9:00am – 9:20am: 
    Opening Session 

    Welcome, Johanna Fernández and Felipe Hinojosa 

    Music and performance 

    9:25 – 10:15am 
    Plenary 1:  

    Voices of the Movement: 
    Why did you join and why does it matter today?  

    10:30 – 12pm
    Breakout Session 1:  

    From Aztlán to Boriquén: The Global Struggle Against Empire 

    From The Mendez Decision to the Student Walkouts: The Struggle for Equal Education 

    The New York Young Lords 

    Land and Indigeneity in the Southwest 

    12 noon – 2pm 
    Lunch 

    2pm – 3:30pm 
    Breakout Session 2:  

    Chicago Young Lords and Rainbow Coalition

    Anti-War and the Chicano Moratorium 

    Women in the Movement 

    Labor and the Humanization of Farm Workers: The Grape Strike of 1965 

    3:45pm – 4:45pm: 
    Keynote: Martha Cotera 

    5pm:     
    Closing Reception 

Friday,
April 10

Decorative geometric pattern with a central orange circle, radiating lines, scrollwork, and floral motifs in yellow and green on a red background, enclosed within a yellow border.

Immigration and Deportation

Brown Berets and MAYO

From Salsa to Spoken Word: The Art and Soundtrack of the Movement

The Rainbow Coalition

The 1969 Denver Conference

The New York Young Lords

Musical performances

Closing reception

  • (In progress)

    Friday, April 10,2026

    9:00am – 9:30am:

    Opening Session 

    Welcome, Johanna Fernández and Felipe Hinojosa 

    Music and performance 

    9:45 – 11:15am 

    Plenary 2:  
    Immigration and Deportation 

    11:30am – 1:30pm 
    Lunch 

    1:45pm – 3:15pm 

    Breakout Sessions:  

    Brown Berets and MAYO:  

    From Salsa to Spoken Word: The Art and Soundtrack of the Movement 

    The Rainbow Coalition 

    The 1969 Denver Conference 

    The New York Young Lords  

    3:30pm 
    Musical performance 

    3:45pm – 4:45pm

    Keynote: 
    Juan González 

    5:00pm 
    Closing Reception 

Connect with us:

Photo credit: Juan González shows a copy of Palante to a rider on the New York subway, February 1971, Photograph by Michael Abramson; courtesy of Haymarket Books.