Caribbean Matters: Rest in power, Pablo 'Yoruba' Guzman

Pablo “Yoruba” Guzman, born Paul Guzman on Aug. 17, 1950, in New York City, to Puerto Rican and Cuban parents, joined the ancestors on Nov. 26, 2023, after suffering a heart attack. The sad news spread quickly to all of us who shared a history with him in the Young Lords Party. 

He may not be someone you recognize unless you lived in New York City during his time as a television reporter, or you read some of his written work in the Village Voice or Rolling Stone. Perhaps you have had the chance to learn the history of The Young Lords Organization in Chicago, and The Young Lords Party in New York City, where he was a founding member, and minister of information on our organization’s Central Committee. 

Though his passing is being covered by mainstream media sources, which tend to focus on his many years as a reporter for CBS, I’d like to share a little today about his early political involvement and later importance in the history of the political struggles of the Puerto Rican and Black communities in New York and beyond.

RELATED STORY: 'Mapping Resistance': Activism past and present and the New York Young Lords  

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.