Third World Liberation Front 50th Anniversary Oral History Project

We Want Liberation: TWLF and The Origins of Ethnic Studies

About

The TWLF 50th Anniversary Oral History Project was launched as a fundraising initiative to capture untold stories of participants from the 1969 and 1999 Third World Liberation Front strikes at UC Berkeley. During the 50th Anniversary of the TWLF Strike at UC Berkeley, the TWLF Research Initiative extended an open invitation to all strike participants to share their experiences. We made every effort to include any participant willing to contribute without duplicating oral histories that are already accessible elsewhere. This project is grounded in the foundational principles of TWLF—solidarity, democratic representation, and self-determination of Third World peoples. As outlined on the Collective Organizing Principles page, the TWLF did not adhere to hierarchical structures; instead, every participant's voice was valued equally, reflecting the coalition's commitment to collective action and mutual respect.

This project is part of a larger ongoing effort committed to continuing the work of recording more testimonies from the various TWLF strikes. For those interested in exploring further, we are also including links to other oral history projects on the Asian American Political Alliance and the critical roles women strikers played in TWLF. For a broader perspective that includes voices from both the 1969 and 1999 UC Berkeley strikes, we recommend watching "On Strike: Ethnic Studies - 1969-1999." If you were involved in a TWLF strike or know someone who was and are interested in having that oral history recorded, please email twlfresearch@berkeley.edu.

Please note that the interviews are in the process of being uploaded to Calisphere. Links to the recorded interviews will be added to each participant's page shortly. 

 Matriarchs of the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley  Asian American Political Alliance Oral History Project  Ethnic Studies - 1969-1999
150W: Matriarchs of the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley Asian American Political Alliance Oral History Project On Strike: Ethnic Studies - 1969-1999

1969 UC Berkeley TWLF

1999 UC Berkeley twLF

In 1999, under the banner of the ‘third world Liberation Front’ (stylized as ‘twLF’), UC Berkeley students protested a series of cuts to the Department of Ethnic Studies by holding rallies, sit-ins, building occupations, and a hunger strike. Their activism resulted in a five point Agreement in Support of Ethnic Studies, including the creation of the Multicultural Community Center, the Center for Race and Gender, and more faculty hires in the Department of Ethnic Studies. A Third College at UC Berkeley is still an unmet but not forgotten demand.


Source: https://crg.berkeley.edu/third-world-liberation-front-research-initiative-twlf