About the TWF

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to By Any Means Necessary: Marginalized Students Give Voice in the Third World Forum, an exhibition highlighting a student-run, student-produced, student-published newspaper at UC Davis. Starting off as the Third World News in 1970, the newspaper informed and educated students about the Third World movement, as well as provided a platform, a “place of refuge and ‘common ground’ for people of color” to voice their concerns, and express themselves and the struggle for justice on campus at the University of California, Davis:

A group of Third World students went to the student government of UC Davis, requesting that they be allowed to set up a newspaper that would voice the opinions and concerns of Third World peoples, which they felt were not being adequately represented in The California Aggie.

In 1970, the editorial staff of the Third World Forum (TWF) first divided assignments along the lines of four traditionally oppressed ethnic groups in the U.S.: Asian Americans, Black Americans, Chicanos(as)/Latinos(as), and Native Americans. There was an editor for each of those divisions. In the mid-1980s, TWF staff further solidified the political stance of the newspaper by adopting and implementing the following principles of Third World unity in its work: 1) anti-sexism, 2) anti-racism, and 3) anti-imperialism/anti-colonialism.

TWF encouraged student and community involvement in the newspaper by requesting contributions in the form of letters, articles, poetry, art, and photography. To provide examples of these contributions, the exhibition also features the photography of the People's Monitor/TWF staff member, Francisco Dominguez, whose newly acquired collection of photographs are in line to be processed by Archives and Special Collections at UC Davis Library.

The name of the newspaper has changed and evolved throughout the years:

• Third World News, 1970 • Third World Forum, 1977 • People's Monitor, 1982 • People's Monitor: A Third World Forum, 1986 • Third World Forum, 1987

The newspaper was suspended from 2006-2012, but resumed for one final year in 2013 with its last publication on May 1. This exhibition displays a tiny sample of the Third World Forum. Access the entire run of TWF online by going to http://tinyurl.com/2v3fh82v.

While examining and analyzing materials during class visits to Archives and Special Collections, students are often asked “How is the world today different from when these items were created? How is the world still the same?” You are encouraged to consider these questions as you explore this exhibition. But enough with introductions. The students have something - and plenty - to say, as you will see.

Christine Cheng, MSLS

Instruction and Outreach Librarian, Archives and Special Collections

UC Davis Library