Carlos Muñoz Book Is Basis For PBS Documentary Series

A new PBS documentary, "Chicano! History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement," is largely based on a book by Carlos Muñoz Jr., professor of Chicano Studies.

Three segments of the four-hour series, to be aired on Channel 9 on two Fridays, April 12 and 19, from 9 to 11 p. m., derive from Muñoz's book "Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement."

Muñoz calls the airing of the documentary an historic event--"the first documentary series in the history of this country to focus on the Mexican-American experience."

Muñoz, who appears in the documentary and also served as senior consultant during production, has a personal history deeply rooted in the Chicano movement, from his student activism in the 1960s to his ongoing political and academic role.

"Youth, Identity, Power," first published in 1989 and now in its seventh printing, was the first major book on the Chicano movement and is widely used as a text.

Muñoz hopes that the airing of the documentary will "begin to fill a gap that exists" in the coverage of the Mexican-American role in civil rights struggles in the U.S.

The series begins with "Quest for a Homeland," a segment that recalls events in New Mexico, Colorado and California in the mid1960s that helped the movement coalesce; followed by "Struggle in the Fields," tracing the efforts of Cesar Chavez to organize migrant laborers.

The series concludes on April 19 with "Taking Back the Schools" and "Fighting for Political Power." Muñoz's influence is seen in the first, third and fourth segments.