Radical political organizations have long laid out a blueprint for sanctuary as a collective action. Emerging from the Civil Rights era, the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords and El Comité facilitated vital programs for political education, food and clothing distribution, housing rights, medical care, and legal aid–cultivating sanctuary through community organizing and mutual aid amidst political struggle.

Today, collectives such as the people’s riisearch group continue this legacy, embodying sanctuary as a radical act of community safeguarding and access to critical public spaces through their work preserving the queer histories and futures of The People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park in Queens.

At The Clemente, we will gather with artists and organizers Jamal Joseph, a member of the Black Panther Party; Máximo Colon, a member of El Comité who also extensively documented the Young Lords community programs; and Dr. jah Elyse Sayers, initiator of the people’s riisearch group. Together, they will explore how radical collectives continue to foster sanctuary through community action and political organizing, intersecting with their respective creative practices.

Sanctuary is a Revolutionary Act is presented in partnership with The Clemente as part of the fall program series for HISTORIAS, a citywide art and public humanities initiative charting how Latinx communities have shaped New York.