Audio description of ‘Palante’ by Caitie Gutierrez

Artist’s statement

The Young Lords emerged as a civil rights–conscious and political empowerment–minded youth movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, known for its confrontational tactics and radicalism. The Young Lords drew inspiration from the social activism of the era, such as the Black Civil Rights movement, the anti–Vietnam War movement, and the charisma of Malcolm X, the Black Panther Party, and others. “Palante”, a contraction of “para adelante” (Spanish) or “forward”, was a bilingual newspaper published by the Young Lords Party that focused on the Puerto Rican independence movement, the oppression of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos in the United States, and global struggles for liberation. “DA'NSHIHI'BU BIADAN DA'ITU” means “I love you forever my sister”. It’s the first Taíno phrase I was taught by my Cacique when one of my best friends passed away this year. Afterwards, he told me he looked forward to me introducing him to her in Soraya. I created this piece in honour of the Young Lords and ancestors that paved the way knowing they may never see the future they were fighting for.

Caitie Gutierrez is a mental health and chronic illness advocate and writer from Lenape Territory (New York) who has been living and working on Gadigal Land (Sydney) for the last 5 years. She has a background in music, psychology, and music therapy and creates content for those with mental and chronic illnesses. As a bi+, biracial, and bigender Nuyorican, they draw from their own experiences of complex trauma to explore topics like mental health, chronic illness, queerness, intergenerational trauma, and ancestral healing.