User:Latinxartandactivism/Lolita Lebrón

Legacy

Among the homages received by Lebrón are paintings, books and a documentary. Mexican artist Octavio Ocampo created a poster of Lebrón, which was exhibited at the Galería de la Raza in San Francisco, California. In Chicago's Humboldt Park, there is a mural depicting Lebrón among other well known Puerto Ricans. In addition to these works, Lebrón became a popular subject in silkscreen art. One such work that has garnered a lot of attention is Linda Lucero’s work Lolita Lebrón: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre! The artist was interested in learning about political prisoners being held in the United States, and Lebrón stood out to her as a potential subject for a poster regarding the formation of a community. Furthermore, as a resident of San Francisco’s Mission District, a region whose Latino population featured only a small percent of Puerto Ricans, Lucero’s decision to depict Lebrón was unexpected, and perhaps reflected the “internal colony” thesis. One of the most often discussed elements of the work is that Lebrón, typically regarded as a white woman by Puerto Ricans, is rendered in burnt sienna to highlight her brown skin. The poster is perceived as portraying Lebrón as a contemplative, suffering figure, who some scholars regard as embodying the racialized colonial subject who suffers at the hands of an imperial power. This artistic portrayal of Lebrón contrasts the common interpretation of the US press’ portrayal of her as a femme fatale. This work became widely recognized, and is today housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum as an important representation of an icon.  

Another silkscreen representation of Lebrón, also in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is Lolita Lebrón, Puerto Rican Freedom Fighter by Marcos Dimas. In contrast to Lucero’s suffering Lebrón, or the media’s description of her as a terrorist, with headlines such as “When terror wore lipstick,” Dimas represents a portrayal of Lolita Lebrón that scholars regard as “heroic,” showing her in three-quarter profile with her eyes defiantly raised and staring ahead in determination, repeated four times in the same color palette on the poster, and declaring her as a “Puerto Rican Freedom Fighter”. Beyond art, writer, director and film producer Judith Escalona is planning to make a film about Lebrón's life. Federico Ribes Tovar published a book titled Lolita la Prisionera.