September is Hispanic Heritage Month: a time to honor and celebrate the many contributions and accomplishments of the Hispanic community around the world. This week btw shines the spotlight on the legacy of Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez, an important Puerto Rican civil rights leader who passed away earlier this year.
Jimenez and the Young Lords
Jimenez was born in Puerto Rico in 1948 and moved with his parents to Chicago when he was two years old. Jimenez is best known as the founder of the Young Lords Organization, which began in 1968 in Lincoln Park, one of Chicago’s most impoverished areas. The Young Lords modeled itself after the Black Panther Party. Its mission was to stand up for basic rights such as health care, education, affordable housing, and employment. At the same time, like the Black Panthers, the members of the Young Lords gave back to their community. They provided food, such as free breakfast for children, and free medical clinics.
While the group was mostly Puerto Rican, the Young Lords believed in being fully inclusive. The group welcomed Black, white, Latino, female, and LGBTQ+ members. The Young Lords circulated a monthly newsletter to make the Chicago community aware of its offerings and helped to develop cultural centers for residents to celebrate their Puerto Rican heritage. The group identified as “revolutionist nationalists.” (They believed that Puerto Rico should be independent from the United States.)
Eventually, Jimenez inspired a new chapter of the Young Lords in New York City, where the group surprised everyone by joining the Rainbow Coalition. This was a separate movement that brought together Puerto Rican radicals and white Southerners to fight against poverty and discrimination in the South. The Young Lords in New York City also gained national attention by participating in a Garbage Offensive action that sparked awareness of poor sanitation services impacting minority groups in East Harlem.
A Civil Rights Leader
In June 1969, Jimenez led a march of 10,000 people through Chicago in solidarity with Don Pedro Albizu Campos, a leader of the Puerto Rican independence movement.
That same year, he and the Young Lords protested against Chicago’s DePaul University. The group staged a five-day occupation of one of the university’s buildings. They were protesting how DePaul was pushing impoverished people out of the area. The Young Lords demanded that the university provide low-income housing, a Puerto Rican cultural center, a daycare, and a leadership program to help support the local community. Because of their actions, the Young Lords successfully won money for two free health clinics, a People’s Law office (which still operates today), and $650,000 for low-income housing.
These actions helped solidify Jimenez’s role as a civil rights and liberation leader.
A Political Figure
While Jimenez is best known for his work with the Young Lords, he also played a role in politics. In 1974, he was the first Latino to run for Chicago alderman. Later, in 1983, he worked as a precinct captain to help elect Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor.
Remembering Cha Cha Jimenez
Jimenez died in January 2025, at the age of 76. He was laid to rest with his parents in Puerto Rico. He is survived by his sisters and five children and is remembered most for bringing together and empowering young people from different backgrounds to work together for equality and social justice.