Social Justice

House Bill 1016 will make Juneteenth a legal Washington state holiday starting next year. This Saturday, June 19, will mark the first Juneteenth since Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law. Work by Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, is quoted.

This week, President Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a national holiday. But there are myths and omissions surrounding the telling of this day and that period in history, according to LaTaSha Levy, an assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, and it’s critical to understand the past and present need to fight for, and celebrate, Black freedom.

KUOW presents a special statewide broadcast on Asian and Pacific Islander identities and experiences in America today. Douglas Ishii, assistant professor of English at the UW, is interviewed.

Vicky Lawson, Professor of Geography and Director of the UW Honors Program, teaches a class on understanding the sources of poverty and houselessness in Seattle.

Three youth leaders advocated for environmental protection, legislation to ban Native mascots and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis Friday afternoon, June 11, during the Seattle CityClub’s digital series “Civic Boot Camp.” The Zoom event was moderated by Owen Oliver, who graduated from the UW in 2021 with a degree in American Indian Studies and Political Science and is of Quinault and Isleta Pueblo heritage, and featured UW student and athletic advocate Rosalie Fish of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. [This story appeared in multiple outlets]

Three youth leaders advocated for environmental protection, legislation to ban Native mascots and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis Friday afternoon, June 11, during the Seattle CityClub’s digital series “Civic Boot Camp.” The Zoom event was moderated by Owen Oliver, who graduated from the UW in 2021 with a degree in American Indian Studies and Political Science and is of Quinault and Isleta Pueblo heritage, and featured UW student and athletic advocate Rosalie Fish of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. [This story appeared in multiple outlets]

Dr. Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history, explains the history of interracial marriage in Washington.

"No-No Boy," a Seattle-set novel addressing Japanese internment has been revived by the University of Washington press. Tamiko Nimura (PhD, English, 2004) is referenced.

Three years after Walid Salem was plucked off a Cairo street by plainclothes police officers, blindfolded and then imprisoned, the University of Washington doctoral student remains stuck in Egypt, unable to visit his young daughter or finish his dissertation in Seattle. Michael McCann, professor of political science at the UW, and UW President Ana Mari Cauce are quoted.

David McGrath of the College of the DuPage writes about criticism of his earlier op-ed suggesting that the name of the Chicago Blackhawks be changed: "This story ... about the corpses of more than 200 children found at a Canadian Indigenous boarding school may open the eyes of those same fans to the fact that the name change is not about them or their sports pleasures and preferences, but about Native American youth, victims of ethnic cleansing and atrocities on this continent for centuries — people who continue to suffer today because of dehumanizing stereotypes such as the Blackhawks logo." Stephanie Fryberg, professor of American Indian studies at the UW, is referenced.

“BIPOC has become a trendy acronym among people interested in diversity issues, but this is not good. The ‘B’ stands for Black people, the ‘I’ is for Indigenous persons and the ‘POC’ stands for people of color. This effectively shunts Hispanics or Latinos aside,” writes Carlos Gil, professor emeritus of history at the UW.

How the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies continues to address the most critical issues of our time.

It’s too early to tell whether MacKenzie Scott’s approach to giving will create a sea change in how other ultrawealthy donors give or what they support. Megan Ming Francis, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

As an undergrad interested in criminal justice, Anthony Stokes has visited prisons, met with incarcerated men, and worked on court cases.

As language evolves, so do the terms we use to describe sexual and gender identity. Some terms are more widely known, but others are relatively new. One of the newer terms is "polysexual." Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.