Dr. Carlos Munoz, Jr

Dr. Carlos Muñoz, Jr. was born in the "segundo barrio" in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the barrios of East Los Angeles, California. He is the son of working-class Mexican immigrants and has achieved significant academic success, earning his AA from Los Angeles City Community College, his BA with honors in Political Science from California State University at Los Angeles, and his PhD in Government from the Claremont Graduate School. He holds the position of Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Muñoz has had a notable 42-year career in higher education, earning international recognition as a political scientist, historian, journalist, and public intellectual focused on ethnic and racial politics, multiculturalism and diversity, immigration, civil and human rights, and affirmative action.

Muñoz was a pivotal figure in advancing ethnic studies in the United States, serving as the founding chair of the first Chicano Studies department in the nation in 1968 at California State University, Los Angeles, and as the founding chair of the National Association of Chicana & Chicano Studies (NACCS). He is an accomplished author, known for pioneering works on the Mexican American political experience and African American and Latino political coalitions. His influential book, "Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement," received the Gustavus Myers Book Award for outstanding scholarship in human rights in the U.S. and served as a primary resource for the PBS series "Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement." Muñoz is currently working on two new books: "Decolonizing America: Toward Authentic Multiracial Democracy" and his autobiography, "Victory is in the Struggle."

As a scholar-activist, Muñoz has played a significant role in peace movements within the U.S. and internationally. He has been featured on major media outlets such as PBS, NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, UNIVISION, and Tele Mundo, and has contributed as a syndicated columnist with the Progressive Media Project. His dedication to education and activism has been recognized with several honors, including an accolade from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005 for inspiring others in pursuit of their goals, the Pioneer Visionary Award from the National Black Student Conference in 2007, and the title of Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Scholar at UC Berkeley in 2012.

Muñoz has shared his expertise at many prestigious academic institutions, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, as well as at numerous state and community colleges across the nation. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker for non-academic entities such as nonprofit community agencies, public schools, and professional associations, where he is known for his dynamic and inspiring presentations.