Iris Morales

Iris Morales (born 1948) is a Puerto Rican activist, attorney, filmmaker, and educator who was a leading member of the Young Lords Party. Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, she joined the Young Lords in 1969 and rose to become one of its central organizers.

Within the Young Lords, Morales was instrumental in pushing the organization to address women's issues and challenge machismo within the revolutionary movement. She helped lead the Lincoln Hospital takeover (1970) and organized lead poisoning testing campaigns in East Harlem tenements.

After the Young Lords dissolved, Morales earned a law degree and became a public interest attorney. She directed the documentary "¡Palante, Siempre Palante!" (1996) about the Young Lords, preserving the organization's history. She continues to work as an educator and community organizer, connecting the legacy of 1960s-70s activism to contemporary social justice movements.