Chicano Studies Merit the Status of Department

UCLA’s Chicano studies center, which was established in 1993, is seeking department status. News accounts indicate that there is support for such a change. This is a clear sign of progress, since it took protests -- including a hunger strike by students and faculty -- to get backing for the program in the ‘90s.

But does this mean that the discipline of Chicano and Chicana studies is accepted enough in the University of California system and by the regents to consider offering a doctorate in the subject of Mexican Americans and their experiences in the United States?

Chicanos, or Mexican Americans, are not a marginalized people living on the seams of a dominant white culture. Mexicans and Chicanos historically have been the backbone of Los Angeles, but their contributions continue to be overlooked -- in education and in society in general.

Despite the many efforts of Mexican Americans to aid this country, economically and militarily, and the many ways Mexican culture has influenced this nation, Mexican Americans are often still labeled as foreigners. Much more must be done to enrich and further the teaching of children and scholars concerning their contributions.

Chicanos and other Latinos are filling top spaces in government, academia and the workplace as never before. Teachers are increasingly entering the education field with a large number of Chicano studies courses on their curriculum vitae. Their efforts in entering education are aimed at helping the large number of Mexican and other immigrant students in the Pacific Southwest become productive members of society.

Mexican Americans have had to work hard to gain a measure of equality. It is largely Chicano studies that have allowed a culturally enriched education to begin to resurface, through the recognition of languages, myths and experiences of Mexicans in the U.S.

In a geographic area rooted in Mexican history and where the demographics reflect the same, students need to know and understand their history and culture, but their ability to fully do so is still in question.

The discipline of Chicano studies, at its highest level, can award its scholars a master’s degree -- and currently only at Cal State Northridge. The next step is to offer them a chance to pursue a doctorate. Elevating UCLA’s Chicano studies center to department status is a step in that direction.