Advancing Activism Through Academic Scholarship: What’s in a Name (Revisited)

Abstract

This article discusses an effort in the early 1990s to question the naming of campus edifices to recognize California state Senator William Craven (1973–1998), who made public statements considered anti-Latino while in office. During that period, there were very few movements to rename campus landmarks. This article analyzes one of these early movements and the personal and practical implications for the authors, who were proponents of the movement. We focus on how academic writing can be used to advance the project of educational justice, even if progress is slow and at times delayed.

Notes

1 We use the term Latino throughout this article. We also recognize the increasingly popular use of the term Latinx in the contemporary moment. For a more detailed discussion about the origins, uses, and discourses of these terms, consider Vidal-Ortiz and Martínez’s (2018) article “Latinx Thoughts.”

2 In this article, we provide a brief overview of the events that occurred around naming the building. Readers interested in the full account are urged to read the Gonzalez et al. (1995) chapter in The Learning Ivory Tower, edited by Padilla and Chavez Chavez.