Professor Jennie Luna teaches Chicana/o Studies.
By Julie Drake
As chair-elect for the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS),
Jennie Luna, Professor of Chicana/o Studies, designed the theme and program for the
organization’s national conference, held April 2 to 5 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“It’s an honor to be elected by the national body to chair the organization and also
represent my campus at a national level. It’s a big deal,” Luna said.
Luna is actively working toward changing the paradigm in her field to address Indigenous
issues and work toward decolonization; how we imagine it; and how we see it in our
reality and lifetime, she said.
“I’m really excited to have people from all over the country gather to share research
and participate in the plenary sessions I have coordinated, highlighting scholars
leading the field of Chicana and Chicano indigeneity,” she said.
Education is especially important to Luna. She is a first-generation college graduate.
She attended the University of California, Berkeley where she learned about the Third
World Liberation Front.
“It influenced me to become an activist and organize on campus,” she said.