Felipe Luciano

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Felipe Luciano (b. East Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, c. 1948) is an American poet, community activist, journalist, media personality, and politician. He is of Puerto Rican heritage.

In his youth, Luciano served time in prison for manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of a Brooklyn teenager in the early 1960s. Following his release, he attended Queens College and became a member of the Original Last Poets (with Gylan Kain and David Nelson). He co-founded a New York-based Puerto Rican-American organization called the Young Lords (also called the Young Lords Party) in the 1960s, and served as its chair. The Young Lords was in some ways a gang, but its members also considered it to be a political movement.

He later became a radio, television, and print journalist and won several awards for his work in these fields. Since the late 20th century he has run for various local government positions.

In 1972 Luciano appeared on the LP "Live At Sing Sing" by Eddie Palmieri with Harlem River Drive. He read his poem "Jíbaro / My Pretty Nigger."

He is also the president and founder of Luciano Productions, Inc.

The Young Lords Organization evolved out of a Puerto Rican "gang" in Chicago led by Jose "Cha-Cha" Jimenez. The Chicago version of the Young Lords transformed themselves into a political organization after Jimenez met the late Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton in 1968. The New York Young Lords "Party" was organized in the summer of 1969 by student activists who were not exclusively of Puerto Rican background but various people of color. Felipe Luciano was the first chairman of the YLP and led extremely successful survival programs in "El Barrio," The Bronx, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Hartford and Bridgeport. The Chicago YLO was equally successful in their community programs and that organization functioned well into the early 1980's. Felipe Luciano and Jose "Cha-Cha" Jimenez are still community activists and involved in youth organizations in New York and Chicago area.

footnote: Most radical groups from the late 60's and early 70's made up of young people were often demonized by media through US Government influence. Today, these groups are still considered "gangs" due to the media coverage they received in the late 60's and early 70's. While it is true that some members often came from "gangs" it is also important to note that they were "former-gang member" who transformed themselves into leaders for the benefit of their communities.

[edit] Films

1971 - Right On!: Poetry on Film (Original Last Poets). Directed by Herbert Danska.
1979 - Salsa: Latin Music in the Cities. Directed by Jeremy Marre.