Renowned New York City reporter and co-founder of New York’s Young Lords Party Pablo Guzmán has died at age 73. Guzmán suffered a heart attack Sunday, according to CBS New York.
Born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the South Bronx, Guzmán graduated from Bronx High School of Science and attended the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
During his college years, he became a co-founder of the Young Lords Party in New York.
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Inspired by the Black Panthers, the group was a Puerto Rican revolution party fighting for neighborhood empowerment and the self-determination of Latinos.
In addition to acting as one of the group’s main spokesmen, Guzmán was also the minister of information. In that role, he produced and hosted a weekly radio show for the Young Lords, edited their weekly newsletter Palante and helped the organization grow in various other cities.
Toward the end of the Vietnam War, Guzmán refused to report for the draft as an act of protest. He was subsequently imprisoned for nine months on a two-year sentence at a time when others with no prior arrests were receiving community service or suspended sentences for the same offense. In an archived bio, Guzmán says that it was due to his affiliation with the Young Lords Party.
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The Young Lords Party was frequently the subject of New York police and FBI surveillance, though documentation of such monitoring has reportedly disappeared.
Guzmán went on to become a veteran reporter, writing for publications such as the Village Voice, Essence, Rolling Stone, Musician, Downbeat, Billboard and the New York Daily News before becoming a television news reporter.
Most recently, he was a senior correspondent at CBS2, and before that he worked at WNBC and WNEW-TV. He also published his own pieces through Medium, which often retold his experiences as both an Afro-Latino reporter and member of the Young Lords Party.
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He covered a wide variety of stories including crime, local politics, courts and the New York Yankees.
On his LinkedIn page, he wrote, “I started in radio when I was 18. Over the next 43 years, audiences saw me grow as I expanded into print, and television news. They know me; and, trusted me. People opened up, even in the most difficult moments. Viewers also know I have a humorous side. And that I have taken them to the worlds of music, politics, sports, neighborhoods, film, and law enforcement.”
He is survived by his wife, two children and mother.
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