Rooted in the intertwined movements of racial justice, anti-imperialism and liberated education in the 1960s and 70s, the formation of ethnic studies changed how race, inequality and the very history of the United States is taught. The first of two round tables, this is a conversation among representatives from Ethnic Studies institutions at CUNY that were established in the 70s and 80s. These include The Center for Ethnic Studies at BMCC, The Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College, The Department of Africana and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and the Asian/American Center at Queens College. This session also has a representative from the History Department at Bronx Community College and a presentation from a member of the CUNY Digital Archive who will share artefacts from the early history of Ethnic Studies at CUNY. Each CUNY Ethnic Studies institution has a rich history and continues to engage new sites of racialization and inequality, and new theoretical frames.