The Chicano Movement course was developed as a result of student demand for more knowledge of the Mexican American civil rights struggle, which was foundational to the development of Chicana and Chicano Studies as a field of study. In the Summer of 2010, Professor Miroslava Chavez-Garcia, in collaboration with ARC Director jesikah maria ross restructured the course to include an oral history component, enabling students to interview and video record the histories of activists based in the Sacramento region. Along with readings, films, and lectures, the oral histories provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the Chicano movement in the Sacramento region.

To ensure reciprocity, the course solicited feedback from the Chicano activists and showcased their stories in a public presentation, honoring their struggles and accomplishments. To reach members of the Chicano community, the public presentation was be held at the Taller Arte de Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), a community-based art space located in Woodland, California, in the heart of a Mexican American neighborhood. Through this mutually collaborative process, the course aimed to produce public scholarship that is accountable to the multiple constituencies that played key roles in making the learning experience possible.