Movimiento voices on campus: The newspapers of the Chicana/o student movement

The political communication of the Chicana/o student movement of the 1960s and 1970s took place primarily through various forms of print media, with campus based student newspapers figuring prominently within that particular historical moment. At their peak, at least 48 Chicana/o student newspapers were produced on campuses throughout the country, marking these publications as both the principal and ideal format through which the flow of cultural and political information was channeled between movement publics, both on and off college campuses. Yet, the history of these publications has not been thoroughly documented, nor has the discursive legacy of this form of communicative resistance been fully examined. This paper provides a brief history of the emergence and significance of these student newspapers on campuses across the United States, focusing on how campus activists established this form of community media to help advocate on behalf of Chicana/o students and their broader publics.