The Department of Ethnic Studies UC Berkeley

Victory is in the Struggle: The Scholar-Activism of Carlos Munoz Jr.

Save the Date: Sept. 24th, 6pm-8pm, UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library

Carlos Munoz Jr. ended his book on the Chicano Movement, Youth, Identity, and Power, with a reminder, “The most important lesson I have learned in the forty years that I have been marching for freedom and peace is that life is struggle and struggle is life. What is most important, however, is to always know that victory is in the struggle.” Thus, Victory is in the Struggle, draws upon both Munoz’s personal archives, as well as UC Berkeley’s Chicano Studies Poster Collection, to provide viewers with a glimpse into Munoz’s long history of scholar-activism. As a comrade, mentor, and teacher, Munoz understood, as Bell Hooks reminds us, “where domination is present, love is lacking.” 

Our exhibit, Victory is in the Struggle, is organized around the premise that Munoz’s scholar-activism was guided by an ethic of revolutionary love. The various themes of the exhibit provide a window into how this deep commitment to revolutionary love was manifested. For Munoz, love guided struggles for “self-determination” during the Chicano Movement. Love shaped his critique of colonial constructed borders and pushed him to participate in Central American and South African solidarity movements. And, love informed his approach as an educator, where he challenged students to see themselves as “organic intellectuals.” In the spirit of Munoz’s ethnic of revolutionary love, we see Victory is in the Struggle as an opportunity for dialogue and reflection, where we can take a moment to lift up and honor the life of a long distance revolutionary. At the same time, the exhibit is an invitation to reflect on how Munoz’s praxis as a scholar-activist can guide future struggles to defend and expand Ethnic Studies. Victory is in the Struggle will be on display at the Ethnic Studies Library from mid-September to the end of Fall Semester. 

On September 24th, from 6pm-8pm, please join the Ethnic Studies Library for the opening reception of Victory is in the Struggle, where we will celebrate the scholar-activism of Carlos Munoz Jr., with food, poetry, and reflections from former students, colleagues and comrades. For questions about parking, directions, and disability accommodations, visit tinyurl.com/visiteslibrary or email shj@berkeley.edu.