Felipe Luciano facts for kids

Felipe Luciano (born 1947 in East Harlem, New York City) is a talented poet, a community leader, a journalist, and a well-known media personality. He is of Afro-Puerto Rican heritage, meaning he has both African and Puerto Rican roots. Felipe Luciano is famous for his important work with the Young Lords Party and The Last Poets. He is also known as a key person who helped awaken a new sense of pride and activism among Puerto Ricans in New York and across the country in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Later in his career, Luciano became a successful journalist in radio, television, and print.

Early Life and Challenges

Felipe Luciano was born "Phillip" in 1947 in Spanish Harlem. His mother, Aurora, a strong Christian, raised him. He described his childhood neighborhood as tough. At age 12, he joined a group called the Canarsie Chaplain Division. He remembers this time as wild, but also filled with strong friendships.

When Luciano was 16, he was involved in a serious incident that led to someone's death. He was found responsible for manslaughter and spent two years in prison. This experience deeply affected him. In a speech he gave to prison graduates, he said, "Prison is the place where faith is tested. But if you pass this, you are good to go." This shows how he saw his time in prison as a test that made him stronger.

After his release, he went to Queens College to study political science. During this time, he joined The Last Poets and helped start the New York chapter of the Young Lords. He also changed his name to Felipe to highlight his Puerto Rican identity. Later, he built a successful career in media and remains a respected public figure today.

Important Groups Felipe Luciano Joined

What Was The Last Poets?

The Last Poets was a group of African American and Afro-Puerto Rican poets and performers. Their name came from a poem by K. William Kgositsile. They were known for their powerful, rhythmic spoken-word performances. Their style was like early rap music, long before rap became popular.

Felipe Luciano joined The Last Poets in 1966, soon after leaving prison. He was invited by poet Victor Hernandez-Cruz. He joined founding members Gylan Kain and Abiodun Oyewole. Another member, Umar Bin Hassan, described the group's impact: "It's that feeling, that very spiritual thing that comes out and just pulls you in."

While with The Last Poets, Luciano was also part of the Boricua Artists Guild. This helped connect the Nuyorican movement (Puerto Rican culture in New York) with the Black Arts Movement. This showed the strong cultural ties between Afro-Latinos and African Americans.

Working with the Young Lords Party

The Young Lords started as a community organization in Chicago in September 1968. Their leader, Jose Cha Cha Jimenez, was inspired by Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party. Hampton encouraged Jimenez to change the Young Lords from a gang into a group focused on helping their community.

Felipe Luciano helped start the New York chapter of the Young Lords. He was elected chairman. The group, which later became the Young Lords Party, worked to improve life in their neighborhoods. They were inspired by the Black Panthers and started free breakfast programs in schools. They also pushed for better healthcare, including testing for diseases and lead paint. Their efforts helped create the "Patient's Bill of Rights" now used in New York City hospitals.

The Young Lords often took direct action to make changes. One famous event was when they occupied the First Spanish Methodist Church in East Harlem for 11 days. Under Luciano's leadership, they demanded that the church offer more services for the community. The church eventually agreed to open a day-care center for children.

Luciano was key to the Young Lords' success. He helped promote strong community action, ethnic pride, and civil rights. He fought against unfair ideas about Puerto Ricans. However, his time with the Young Lords ended in 1970 when he was removed from his chairman role. The group's leaders felt he had "unclear politics" and was too focused on himself. Even though he was welcome to stay as a regular member, his involvement decreased.

Today, Luciano remembers his time with the Young Lords with pride. He highlights how the group showed the power and visibility of Afro-Hispanic people. He points out that one-third of the party was African-American, showing how different cultures can work together. This period proved that Latinos played a big part in the African American Civil Rights and Black Power movements. It also marked a time when young Puerto Ricans in the U.S. proudly embraced their Black heritage.

Felipe Luciano's Poetry

Felipe Luciano's poems brought a new energy and passion to the poetry scene. His work strongly expressed Black pride and ethnic self-assertion. He openly spoke out against an unfair society, its inequalities, racism, and moral problems.

Luciano has not yet published a book of his poems. However, his poetry reached many people through public readings, recordings, films, and in Pa’lante, the Young Lords' newspaper.

His most famous poem is "Jíbaro, My Pretty N*." This poem encourages Puerto Ricans to accept their Blackness and their island roots. It also connects their struggles with those of African Americans. The poem uses nature images and talks about Black love, migration, and the idea of home. It presents the traditional Puerto Rican Jíbaro as Black, showing that Blackness is central to Puerto Rican identity.

His poetry is similar to that of other Nuyorican poets from the 1970s, like Pedro Pietri and Sandra María Esteves. These poets also included a strong sense of Black cultural identity in their descriptions of Puerto Rican life in the United States.

Political Activities

Felipe Luciano ran for New York City Council in District 8 as a Democrat in 2001 and 2005.

In 2001, he ran against the person already in office, Philip Reed. Luciano argued that Reed was not connected to the people he represented. Reed, who is African-American, suggested that Luciano was using his ethnicity to gain votes. Reed even joked about Luciano's Spanish skills. Luciano did not win this election, but he put up a strong fight.

In 2005, he was one of six candidates for the same position. He focused on important issues like affordable housing and improving education. He wanted to keep neighborhoods diverse and ensure good schools, teachers, and after-school programs. Melissa Mark-Viverito won this election.

In 1997, Luciano was chosen to join a special group. This group aimed to help police officers and citizens talk about police behavior. His decision to join was seen as controversial by some because it meant working with politicians who supported the police.

Media Career: Radio and TV

Radio Work

In 1983, Felipe Luciano hosted a weekly radio show called "City Rhythms." This show played Latin music and was hosted in English.

Television Work

Felipe Luciano became a reporter for WNBC-TV's "NewsCenter 4." This made him the first Puerto Rican news anchor for a major TV network in the United States.

He was also one of the first co-hosts and morning anchors for "Good Day New York" on WNYW in the 1990s. While at FOX 5 New York, he helped create and co-host a fast-paced news show called "Good Day Street Talk with Mayor Ed Koch."

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Felipe Luciano has often spoken about his experiences with anti-Blackness throughout his life. He notes that he is often invited to speak at Black community events but rarely at Latino ones, especially on TV. He even recalls advertising executives saying he was "too dark" to sell products.

Luciano is seen as someone who represents many different groups. The New York Times once wrote that because he is Black and Puerto Rican, a former prisoner, and a poet, he can connect with many different people. He can discuss Caribbean history with a Haitian person, talk about the "ghetto" experience with an African-American, and use Spanish phrases with Hispanic guests. His work helps fight anti-Blackness within the Latinx community and promotes Black Latinx stories and experiences.

When asked how he wants to be remembered, Luciano said he wants to be known "as a scholar, a poet, a writer, and as a warrior for his people."

Films Featuring Felipe Luciano

• Right On!: Poetry on Film (Original Last Poets; directed by Herbert Danca)
• Badge 373 (directed by Howard Koch)
• Salsa: Latin Music in the Cities (directed by Jeremy Marre)
• It Could Happen to You (directed by Andrew Bergman)
• Palante, Siempre Palante (documentary on the Young Lords; directed by Iris Morales)
• Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! (I'm Boricua, Just So You Know!)
• Latin Music USA (Episode 2)
• Rubble Kings (documentary directed by Shan Nicholson)
• "Mr. Soul!" A Documentary directed by Melissa Haizlip)