Radical political organizations have long laid a blueprint that sanctuary as a form of action, rather than a fixed place. It is always envisioning a more just world, one that prioritizes those who face the greatest forms of marginalization. Emerging during the Civil Rights era, the Black Panther Party, The Young Lords and El Comité facilitated vital community programs such as political education, food and clothing distribution, housing rights, medical care, and legal aid – cultivating sanctuary through models of collective care through political struggle. 

We gather with artists Jamal Joseph, member of the Black Panther Party, and Máximo Colon, member of El Comité, who also extensively documented the Young Lords community programs, to explore how radical community-oriented organizations continue to create sanctuary through community action and political organizing. Both artists will highlight the importance of creative practice within radical political struggle, with Joseph sharing his work as a filmmaker and author, and Colon as a photographer.