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Hunger Strike for Chicano Studies at UCLA Collection
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Chicano Studies Research Center Library
Title: Hunger Strike for Chicano Studies Department Collection
Creator:
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) 1993
Identifier/Call Number: 1
Physical Description:
1.2 linear ft.
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1993-1994
Abstract: This collection consists of flyers, memos, notes, form letters, faxes and photographs that document the events that occurred
during the spring of 1993 when several students and one professor began a hunger strike to protest the decision of Chancellor
Charles E. Young to close the Chicano Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English and Spanish.
Physical Location: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library
and Archive for paging information.
Open for research.
Donated to the Chicano Studies Research Center by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) in 2002.
The files are in the order determined by the previous archivists.
In 1993, after several attempts by faculty and students at the University of California, Los Angeles to change the standing
of the Chicano Studies Program from an interdisciplinary program to a department, Chancellor Charles E. Young announced that
the Program would not receive departmental status. The date was April 28th, 1993, the eve of Cesar Chavez's funeral. This
decision ignited the passion and activism of many students and set in motion a sit-in demonstration by the Conscious Students
of Color group over the welfare of the Chicano Studies Library, budget cuts, and the Chicana/o Studies Program and other Ethnic
Programs at UCLA. Around 200 hundred students walked across the Westwood campus to the Faculty Center to protest the Chancellor's
decision. The protest turned violent after Los Angeles Police Department and University of California Police Department officers
appeared in riot gear at the Faculty Center. As a result, 99 students were arrested and UCLA pressed charges against the students
for vandalizing the premises.
These actions set off rallies and demonstrations on the part of a variety of student groups such as MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano de Aztlan), Latin American Student Alliance (LASA), and Students for Revolutionary Action, as well as community groups
such as the United Community Labor Alliance, bringing together thousands of people to demand changes at UCLA.
The most dramatic demonstration, and the focus of this archival collection, was the 1993 hunger strike. Several students and
one UCLA professor decided to protest what they considered an injustice on the part of the UCLA administration, represented
by Chancellor Charles E. Young, through a fast to emphasize their demands. The hunger strikers were: Juan Arturo Diaz Lopez,
Marcos Aguilar, Balvina Collazo, Maria M. Lara, Arturo Paztel Mireles Resendi, Cindi Montanez, Joaquin Manual Ochoa and Professor
Jorge R. Mancillas.
The hunger strike attracted the support and attention of many recognized members of the community including State Senators
Tom Hayden and Art Torres, State Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard and Xavier Becerra, City Assemblywoman Hilda L. Solis,
Mothers of East L.A. and many others. This event galvanized the community at large and resulted in one of the largest student
and community mobilizations in the history of UCLA.
At the end of the hunger strike a compromise was achieved between the hunger strikers and the UCLA administration. As a result,
the Cesar Chavez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana and Chicano Studies was created.
[Identification of item], Hunger Strike for Chicano Studies Department Collection, 1, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center,
University of California, Los Angeles.
This collection includes flyers, memos, notes, form letters, faxes, photographs and documents of the events that occurred
during the spring of 1993, when several students and one professor went on a hunger strike to protest the decision of Chancellor
Charles E. Young to close the Chicano Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user
must assume full responsibility for any use of materials, including but not limited to infringement of copyright and publication
rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Hunger strikes
University of California, Los Angeles. Cesar E. Chavez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana and Chicano Studies
Student movements
Young, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1931-