Highly respected and beloved colleague and teacher, and one of the early faculty founders of the Chicano Studies Program and the graduate program in Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Mario Barrera, passed away peacefully on March 29, 2024, at the age of 84 in Ventura, CA.
Born on November 8, 1939, in Mission, Texas, Mario embarked on a remarkable academic journey, earning his PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley in 1970 after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas. Throughout his groundbreaking career in the UC system at UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UCLA, and then again at UC Berkeley, Mario made indelible contributions as a scholar and as a faculty member committed to the democratization of higher education.
His co-authored 1972 essay, “The Barrio as An Internal Colony,” written with Carlos Muñoz and Charles Ornelas presented a groundbreaking analysis that established an analytic through which the racialization of Chicanos could be studied. The essay critiqued the Eurocentric immigration model in which Mexicans appeared to fail to assimilate into the US, instead looking to US imperialism abroad for the logic of the inequitable and racialized treatment of Chicanos within the US. He was the author of two highly regarded books, Race and Class in the Southwest: A Theory of Racial Inequality which was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Ethnic and Cultural Pluralism Award in 1980, and Beyond Aztlán: Ethnic Autonomy in a Comparative Perspective (1988).
Mario also co-produced the important documentary film, Chicano Park (1989).
Mario also co-produced the important documentary film, Chicano Park (1989) and directed Latino Stories of World War II. His tireless advocacy for educational equity, and farmworker and immigrant rights earned him widespread recognition and respect. Mario was a devoted husband to Sue, a loving father to their son Miguel, a cherished brother, and a beloved friend of many. His legacy lives on through his pioneering scholarship, impactful community engagement, and passion for tennis, ping pong, salsa dancing, and West Coast Swing. Mario’s spirit will be forever remembered and he is deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and students whose lives he enriched with his wisdom, compassion, and unwavering dedication.
Latinopia salutes Dr. Barerra as a true Latinopia Hero!
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This remembrance was written by Laura E. Perez and the Latinx Research Center team and was previously published by the Latinx Research Center and is posted here with their permission.