Race and Equity

Humanities 103, part of the Humanities First program for first-year students, emphasizes place-based learning through thoughtfully designed field trips. 

The first comprehensive national study on fatal police violence in and around American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) reservations, from researchers at the UW and Drexel University, found that roughly 73% of AIAN people killed by police violence were on or within 10 miles of a reservation. Theresa Rocha Beardall, co-author and UW associate professor of sociology, is quoted.

Pulitzer-winning reporter Evelyn Iritani uncovers the diplomatic exchange of American and Japanese civilians while the two countries were at war.

A bilingual educator with 18 years of experience at both the college level and in K–12 public schools, Whitemarsh hopes to give back to her hometown of Pasco.

Former Husky basketball star and NBA player Bobby Jones is a big hit in Compton and beyond with his community-oriented organizations.

Jones, who earned his B.A. in writing from the UW, has already published a children’s book. And the small forward who was always known as a dogged defender for three Husky teams that made the NCAA tournament from 2004 to 2006, is just as fired up to provide representation to his communities. “I’m from Compton,” he says, “I played in the NBA, and I look like the kids from this area. It means so much for them to see someone who looks like them teaching yoga and mentoring them.”

"These are not abstract debates. They cut to the marrow of how we live in a city where the Black share of the population has dwindled, where rising housing costs shove families south to Tukwila and Federal Way, where wealth gaps mean our elders have fewer cushions and our kids fewer chances. Representation matters, yes. But what does it mean when symbolic victories don't lead to material change?" writes columnist Marcus Harrison Green. LaShawnDa Pittman, associate professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

Before earning his UW degree in American Indian studies, Devin Sampson-Craig took a break to act in a Netflix film about basketball players on the Navajo Nation reservation.

"What might the virtual assistant in your phone sound like if the artificial intelligence that powered it emerged from the consciousness of a Black girl from Chicago?" writes Timeka Tounsel, associate professor of Black studies in communication at the UW. Golden M. Owens, assistant professor of cinema & media studies at the UW, is quoted.

As the five-year anniversary of George Floyds murder approaches, KING 5 is examining the current state of the Black Lives Matter movement. Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the UW, is interviewed.

The Asian American Foundation's study shows increased concerns about Asian American loyalty and national security. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

"President Donald Trump and members of his administration have long used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters, arguing that policies and laws on issues like school prayer and LGBTQ+ rights threaten Christians right to express their beliefs," co-write the UW's Clara Wilkins, associate professor of psychology, and Rosemary (Marah) Al-Kire, a postdoctoral researcher of psychology.

William Dougherty, assistant professor of composition in the UW School of Music, is raising awareness about gun violence through “Hearing Philadelphia,” a community music project aimed at honoring the voices of those affected by gun violence and providing healing. Dougherty, who joined the UW faculty in January 2025, started the Healing Philadelphia project two years ago to help his community through music.

When Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, launched BlackPast in 2007, he didnt realize attacks on history would make the site as necessary as it has proved to be.

When Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, launched BlackPast in 2007, he didnt realize attacks on history would make the site as necessary as it has proved to be.

Things were a little bit different at Town Hall on March 4. Things were a little bitwarmer. Activist and educator Margo Okazawa-Rey was in the house.Linh Thy Nguyn, assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.