Ethnic studies emerged as an intellectual movement in the wake of societal transformations associated with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In the later years of that decade, with civil unrest growing over the Vietnam War and the emergence of global and local struggles for self-determination and equality, UCLA faculty, students, staff and community members pressured the university to institute an ethnic studies program that would reflect the presence, history and contributions of underrepresented groups on campus. In response, Chancellor Charles E. Young guided the establishment of four distinct ethnic studies centers in 1969 to foster study and research concerning African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Chicanos and their respective communities. Since then, UCLA and the centers have played a key role in our nation's continual struggle with diversity, access and inclusion. "Art, Activism, Access: 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA," on display at the The exhibition's four main sections explore the centers' roots, their vast and important archives, and their efforts in struggles for academic freedom, self-determination, justice, and civil and human rights. A wide array of art, film and seldom-seen artifacts tell these stories. Two large murals and a study drawing of a third, all of which graced the walls of the ethnic studies centers' home at UCLA's Campbell Hall, will be on display. The earliest, created for the Photographs Also on display are original photographs from the series "Life in a Day of Black L.A.: The Way We See It." These 17 images, taken in 1992 by well-known African American photographers documenting their own communities in the aftermath of the civil unrest in Films A screening area presents a continuous sequence of films, including the experimental "Frontierland" by Jesse Lerner and Rubén Ortiz Torres, Marco Williams' personal documentary "In Search of Our Fathers," and "Hito Hata: Raise the Banner," a chronicle of the contributions and hardships of Japanese Americans from the turn of the last century to the late 1970s. Also included is the 1984 film "Bless Their Little Hearts," directed by UCLA M.F.A. graduate Billy Woodberry, which explores the life of a family in South Los Angeles driven to the breaking point by the father's shame at being unable to support his family. Publications The exhibition's impressive compilation of hundreds of books and journals produced by the ethnic studies centers and/or written by their faculty includes many of the earliest and most important volumes published on the subject of diversity in Posters and other artifacts A wide array of posters and handbills from each of the centers reveals an era of striking graphics tied to political action. These are accompanied by documentary photographs of events that galvanized the campus and brought student bodies across the nation into conflict with the status quo. The early goals of the UCLA ethnic studies programs remain the foundation of the centers today: studying ethnic minorities in American society to provide a framework for research and community action, instilling racial pride, developing a community action program, building diverse holdings for center libraries and archives, and recruiting faculty in these areas. Additional Information "Art, Activism, Access: 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA" has been organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, the UCLA Institute of American Cultures and UCLA's four ethnic studies research centers. Generous funding has been provided by the UCLA Office of the Chancellor, the UCLA Office for Faculty Diversity, the UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies, the UCLA Graduate Division and the UCLA Institute of American Cultures. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block has dedicated the 2009Ãâ10 academic year to the theme of "Celebrating 40 Years of Ethnic Studies at UCLA." The Fowler Museum at UCLA is one of the country's most respected institutions devoted to exploring the arts and cultures of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the
Stacey Ravel Abarbanel, staceyra@arts.ucla.edu 310-825-4288