Books

About

A curated selection of books that provides insights into the TWLF strike. This collection offers a wide range of perspectives on the origins, impact, and enduring legacy of TWLF, highlighting its significant role in shaping discussions on Ethnic Studies, social justice, and educational reform. Some books are written by participants in the 1969 TWLF strike at UC Berkeley.

Book cover of Changing Academia Forever.

Changing Academia Forever: Black Student Leaders Analyze the Movement They Led

This book was written by two participants of the TWLF strike at SF State in 1968, Kitty Kelly Epstein and Bernard Stringer. One of the authors was also a member of the Black Student Union at SF State. The TWLF strike at SF State was largely successful in achieving its demands with the help of thousands of students and community members. Epstein and Stringer draw on oral histories to discuss the politics and methods of the strikes, and what made the strike ultimately successful.

Cover of Chains of Babylon: The Rise of Asian America.

Chains of Babylon

In this book, Daryl J. Maeda, a professor of Ethnic Studies at University of Colorado-Boulder, covers the history of Asian American activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Asian American movement being anti-racist and anti-war, was heavily influenced by the Black Power movement and other anti-war protests. Maeda reveals the influences, inspirations, and struggles of the Asian American movement. 

Cover of Golden Children: Legacy of Ethnic Studies, SF State. A Memoir.

Golden Children: Legacy of Ethnic Studies, SF State. A Memoir.

Written by Juanita Tamayo Lott who participated in the 1968-1969 TWLF strike at SF State, this book discusses the origins and context of the strike and its impact on the present, including the creation of the College of Ethnic Studies. The book highlights the impact of the TWLF strike at SF State as an event that has influenced generations of students, staff, faculty, and community members. 

Cover of Mountain Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies.

Mountain Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies

Written by Russell Jeung, Karen Umemoto, Harvey Dong, Eric Mar, Lisa Hirai Tsuchitani, and Arnold Pan, this is an anthology which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the TWLF movement. This anthology discusses the creation of Asian American Studies following strikes at SF State, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. 

Cover of Native Resistance: An Intergenerational Fight for Survival and Life.

Native Resistance: An Intergenerational Fight for Survival and Life

In this book, LaNada War Jack discusses the the treatment of Native Americans by the US government. The book covers the creation of the Native American Studies program, War Jack’s participation in the TWLF strike, the occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, and the Standing Rock protests. LaNada War Jack is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Nation, She helped found Native American Students United and the Third World Liberation Front ( TWLF ) at UC Berkeley from which emerged Native American Studies and Ethnic Studies.

Cover of Power of the People Won't Stop: Legacy of the TWLF at UC Berkeley.

Power of the People Won't Stop: Legacy of the TWLF at UC Berkeley

Edited by Harvey Dong and Janie Chen, this anthology contains essays, photographs, and reflections by participants of the TWLF strike at UC Berkeley in 1969. This book also covers subsequent TWLF movements like the 1999 strike. Dong and Chen highlight the multi-racial and multi-ethnic solidarity that was formed through the TWLF movement and its impacts today. 

Cover of The Last Chicano: A Mexican American Experience.

The Last Chicano: A Mexican American Experience

Written by Manuel Delgado, the Last Chicano is a true story of alienation, family heroes, social defiance, radical politics and fate, told through real life experiences, from San Bernardino’s Mexican barrio to the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, ending with the realization of family ties to the Mexican Revolution. Delgado was a member of the Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC) and a striker in the TWLF movement at UC Berkeley.