This is a version of a public talk by Professor Paola Bacchetta of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley, which she read at a rally that commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Third World Strike on the same campus. The rally was part of a series of related events and it took place on the steps of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley on January 22, 2019. The rally speakers and participants included elders from the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) movement, current students and professors, and community members. The purpose of the rally was to bring people together to remember and honor the struggle of the TWLF and to inspire links between the past and present struggles.

Malaquias Montoya describes the journey that led him to UC Berkeley and to participate in the Third World Strike there as an artist. He focuses on making posters to promote the strike of the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley. Montoya discusses select posters of 1969 and aftermath of the Third World Strike.

The author reflects on her personal experience as a Native American at UC Berkeley in the 1960s as well as on her activism and important leadership roles in the 1969 Third World Liberation Front student strike, which had as its goal the creation of an interdisciplinary Third World College at the university.

The author reflects upon his experiences organizing Chicano students, supporting community activism, and participating in the 1969 Third World Strike at UC Berkeley. He additionally offers his own perspective on the importance of Ethnic Studies both inside and outside of academia

The author reflects on his life growing up as an Asian American in California, his experiences during the 1960s, and his involvement in the 1969 Third World Strike at UC Berkeley, as well as the transformative role these experiences played in his life.

The author recounts his personal experiences of the 1969 Third World Strike at UC Berkeley as well as reflects on the importance of Chicano Studies and Ethnic Studies: its value to the students in these programs and to wider community. He also discusses the continuing struggle for support within the academy.