Iris Morales, former minister of information for the Young Lords Party, a New York-based Puerto Rican political/social action group, will discuss the importance of the Young Lords philosophies and show her documentary, Palante, Siempre Palante!: The Young Lords, Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m. in Uris Hall Auditorium at Cornell University. The event is free and open to the public.

Morales now is director of Union Square Awards, a project sponsored by the city of New York to recognize the work of grassroots activists. She also is founder and president of Latino Education Network Services (LENS), a non-profit organization committed to education, social activism and community empowerment. LENS produced and distributes Morales' documentary. The non-profit agency receives all of the proceeds from the film's distribution to support organizational expenses.

Morales' appearance is sponsored by the Cornell Public Service Center and supported by the Latino Studies Program, the Department of History, the Latino Living Center and Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority Inc.

Fueled by the onerous conditions of the Puerto Rican community in the late '60s and early '70s, the Young Lords Party fought for education rights, created breakfast programs and demanded New York City deal with the drug and health problems of Latinos in the city.

Morales' film, funded by the Aaron Diamond Foundation, Point of Vision, the New York Council for the Humanities and the Paul Robeson Fund, documents the history that gave rise to the Young Lords Party. It gives a comprehensive account of the organization's existence and demise, using on-camera interviews, archival footage and photographs. The documentary surveys the Young Lords activities and philosophies and the legacy the group left behind.

Morales is a graduate of New York University's School of Law, where she was a Root Tilden Scholar, and she is the former director of the New York Networks for School Renewal, a project

committed to creating quality public education for all children. She also is the former education director of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund and executive director of the New Educational Opportunities Network (NEON), a non-profit organization providing media and educational services to youth of color. During her lecture/discussion she will address issues of diversity, social injustice, public service and social responsibility.

A reception will follow Morales' presentation at the Statler Hotel. For further information, contact Jermaine Cruz at (607) 255-1406 or jc190@ithaca.edu.