Opinion: The Socialist Roots of Latino Politics in New York

"The beginnings of Latino politics in New York largely embraced a brand of socialism and was principally the domain of Puerto Ricans. Avilés and AOC are heirs of a politics that goes back over a century. The election of AOC in 2018 began a new chapter in what we call "Latino" politics in New York, one that as I am indicating here, takes a page (whether consciously or not) from the embryonic phase of our people's politics in the city."

"The key early figures in Latino politics-Jesús Colón, Bernardo Vega, Matias Nieves, among others-were socialists through and through. They understood the principles of classical socialism as pivotal for the attainment of economic justice, particularly for marginalized groups like Puerto Ricans. The work of Colón and company followed that of a group of Puerto Rican and Cuban migrants in the late 19th century, whom historian Jeffrey Hoffnung-Garskof has called "migrant revolutionaries.""

Latino politics in New York began over a century ago with Puerto Rican socialists who built coalition-based movements emphasizing racial and economic justice. Early leaders such as Jesús Colón, Bernardo Vega, and Matias Nieves adopted classical socialism to confront economic inequality and to center marginalized Puerto Rican communities. Their activism followed late 19th-century Puerto Rican and Cuban migrants described as "migrant revolutionaries," and intentionally addressed Afro-Latinidad through cross-racial alliances. The socialist and coalitional foundations persisted into the twentieth century and reemerged in contemporary electoral politics, shaping the trajectories of leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Alexa Avilés.

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