El Comité, or MINP, was a 1960s militant organization that sought independence for Puerto Rico from the United States. Together with several other organizations, it formed the nucleus of the Movimiento Pro-Independencia that formed at a time when the United States was coming under increasing international criticism for holding onto one of the world's last colonies.
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History
El Comité was born on the West Side of Manhattan around 1970. It slowly began to spread to other cities, originally as a militant, community-based organization protesting so-called urban renewal programs that were replacing low income housing with high-rise developments El Comité filled the vacuum left by the decline of the Young Lords. In 1975 El Comite was renamed MINP, Movimiento para la Independencia Nacional Puertorriqueña (Movement for Puerto Rican National Independence).
Operational Model
El Comité sought to be a multi-issue organization, offering a comprehensive program for the community. Besides its community roles, the group organized a student sector, the Puerto Rican Student Union (PRSU), and a workers organization, and initiated a process that eventually led to the formation of the Latin Women's Collective. Through its publication Unidad Latina, it addressed the gamut of issues affecting the community, linking local issues to international forces.