The Politics and Poetics of Máximo Colón's Activist Photography

Máximo Rafael Colón, an artist and activist, captures the Puerto Rican community’s evolution in New York through a prolific photographic archive spanning five decades. Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 1950, Colón migrated to New York during the Great Migration. Despite language barriers, he found purpose in photography. Politically awakened during the 1960s, he joined BMCC’s Third World Coalition and documented social struggles, becoming a photographer for the leftist newspaper Prometheus. Colón joined El Comité, advocating for housing justice and Puerto Rican independence. He was part of a pioneering generation of Nuyorican photographers that emerged in the 1960s–1970s. His work captured social movements, revealing everyday heroes and fostering an ethos that photography itself is a political act. Colón’s legacy lies in his dedication to documenting his community’s journey and advocating for justice through the lens.