It’s Not You, Nor Me…It’s All of Us or None of Us

Hernández, as the current chair of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS), reflects on the “Love Letter to Chicanx Studies.” The author affirms observances within the “letter,” including its considerations of the future of the field, and suggests that we enhance intergenerational knowledge sharing. Hernández presents a provocation on the ultimate goal of liberation as it relates to training and privileging scholars trained in Chicana/o/x Studies, and asks us to think more deeply about how we “do” the work and serve our communities. Finally, he asks that we recover our “Third world” subjectivities and reaffirm our commitment to struggles for shared liberation.

A Love Letter to Chicanx Studies

The authors share their joint “love letter” to the field of Chicanx Studies, originally presented during the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) conference on April 14, 2021. This collection reflects on the successes, promise, and still deferred promise of a fully realized Chicanx Studies. They focus on the value of a graduate program and training in Chicanx Studies, the need for their work to be engaged in community struggle, the potentials of increased numbers of Chicanx Studies trained scholars, and their personal connections and challenges as graduate students of this field.

Ethnic Studies Fifty Years Later

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.