Introduced by Dr. Cati de los Ríos, UC Berkeley alumnus and Ethnic Studies professor Dr. Elias Serna unfolds the story of the Xican@ Pop-Up Book Movement, an arts allegory project which evolved out of the struggle to defend Chicanx Studies in Arizona and commemorates 10 years of widespread and varied arts activism. After Arizona Republican lawmakers outlawed Chicanx Studies and destroyed the department, Los Angeles educators designed a curriculum – a counterpart to the LibroTraficante – around banned Chicanx literature, utilizing paper engineering as allegory for the return of Chicanx Studies, the resurrection of banned Chicanx books, and the rising up against attacks on Ethnic Studies. The XPUB extended activity onto social media platforms, public displays of student work, teacher professional development workshops (XITO, LESMC, UTLA), LA Times cover images, and the production of three manifestos including “El Pop-Up Vuh” and “El Plan de Santa Pop-Up.” Over the last decade, the XPUB unfolded into a versatile resistance allegory for the spread of Ethnic Studies Now in California, the Quincentennial resurgence of Mesoamerican knowledges (Tenochtitlan), Black and Brown hidden histories, the resurrection of the struggle for victims of police violence (including Black Lives Matter), and more recently the personal “coming out” LGBTQ+ odyssey of co-founder and former UC Riverside Mexican dance faculty Johnavalos Rios. Recent presentations feature the newest “Johnavalos Codice,” a visual display of student “gems” over the years, and the grand premier of the long-awaited, pandemic-era 4th XPUB manifesto.
