Unrest: Founding of the Cal State Northridge Chicana/o Studies Department shares the untold story of a group of students and faculty who sacrificed and fought the school’s administration in order to open up the doors to teaching Chicano Studies. Its tumultuous founding in the fall of 1969 paints a vivid picture of the injustices, struggles and outright racism that wasn’t just affecting Chicano and Black students, but the nation as a whole.

For the first time, Unrest gathers interviews with some of the department’s earliest students and faculty to paint a picture of the challenging time from which the largest department of its kind was formed. Interviews interweaved with archival footage and photographs of the times create an amazing sense of awe and authenticity to the documentary. Unrest captures the undeniable spirit of a few against all odds to create an institution of pride and education that has benefitted the countless students who have walked through its hallways.