Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968

Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968
Part of Protests of 1968
Date1968
Location
GoalsEducation reform

The Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) rose in 1968 as a coalition of ethnic student groups on college campuses in California in response to the Eurocentric education and lack of diversity at San Francisco State College (now San Francisco State University) and University of California, Berkeley.[1] The TWLF was instrumental in creating and establishing Ethnic Studies and other identity studies as majors in their respective schools and universities across the United States.[2][3]

At the end of the American Civil Rights Movement, the combined determination of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), the Black Student Union (BSU), the Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action (ICSA), the Mexican American Student Confederation, the Philippine (now Pilipino) American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE),[4] La Raza, the Native American Students Union, and later the Asian American Political Alliance galvanized California and the rest of the nation with the first student strike, bringing to light the need for wider perspective within educational disciplines.[5][6][3][7] The TWLF strikes for Ethnic Studies in California drew the attention of the universities' administrative leaders as well as the attention of the Governor of California Ronald Reagan. The student strikes to establish these courses started in 1968 and lasted for several months. The establishment of the first College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State, the first Ethnic Studies Department at Berkeley, increased hiring of faculty of color, and efforts to increase minority representation on college campuses all resulted from the actions of the Third World Liberation Front.[7][8]

  1. ^ Activist State (Documentary: 1968 San Francisco Student Strike). Dir. Jonathan Craig. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPmb-9ctGc>.
  2. ^ Dong, Harvey. "The TWLF Strike." Manuel Ruben Delgado. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2014. <"Twlfstrike1". Archived from the original on 2014-05-04. Retrieved 2014-11-14.>.
  3. ^ a b Springer, Denize. "Campus Commemorates 1968 Student-led Strike." San Francisco State News. San Francisco State University, 22 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sfsu.edu/news/2008/fall/8.html>.
  4. ^ "History & Legacy | pacesfsu1967". pacesfsu1967.com. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Mcevoy, James, and Abraham Miller. ""On Strike—shut It Down" the Crisis at San Francisco State College." Trans-action 6.5 (March 1969): 18-23. Springer. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
  6. ^ San Francisco State University. "Chronology of Events." The San Francisco State College Strike Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. <"The San Francisco State College Strike Collection". Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2014-11-14.>.
  7. ^ a b "Third World Student Strikes at SFSU & UCB 1968-1969." Blog post. Asian American Movement 1968. Asian Community Center History Group, 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://aam1968.blogspot.com/2008/01/third-world-student-strikes-at-sfsu-ucb.html>.
  8. ^ Whitson, Helene. "Introductory Essay." The San Francisco State College Strike Collection. San Francisco State University, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <"The San Francisco State College Strike-Essay". Archived from the original on 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2014-11-14.>.