When I think of the Third World Liberation Front (twLF), I get warm fuzzies. Why? Well, to me it’s the epitome of stick-it-to-the-man-ism. Come on, look at Richard Aoki in his fierce shades and tell me that’s not pretty kickass.
On a more serious note, the twLF represents a kind of unified activism that has become so rare these days. 2 weeks from now will mark the 40th anniversary of this epic student-led movement to instate ethnic studies classes in Berkeley and in SF State. I think that there’s so much to learn from this because it shows us that there’s not only strength in numbers but strength in multiculturalism and diversity. The basis of the movement was for different ethnic communities to acknowledge a common history of colonial oppression and to unite under that banner to promote ethnic education and equality in the eyes of a Eurocentric administration. We could use a little more of that today, no?
Interested in coming to some celebrations of the anniversary? Check it outtt
Those were really, really crazy times! My favorite part of American history is the Civil Rights era, and the TWLF is no exception. If it weren’t for the TWLF, we would not have some sort of emphasis towards ethnic ciriculum (i.e. learning about different ethnic groups) in public schools.