Social Justice

  • Analysis: Sudans civil war: What military advances mean, and where the country could be heading next

    The Conversation turned to Christopher Tounsel, associate professor of history at the UW, to explain what the war has cost and where it could turn now.
    03/25/2025 | The Conversation
  • UW professor battles a direct, frontal assault on Black history

    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.
    03/25/2025 | The Seattle Times
  • March to remember Chinese expulsion in Seattle highlights immigrants

    The event commemorated the 1886 expulsion of 350 of Seattles Chinese residents, who were forced to board a ship for San Francisco, where they were then deported to China. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.
    02/25/2025 | Northwest Asian Weekly
  • DEI rollbacks highlight the uneasy relationship between corporations and Black consumers

    DEI policies have been in the crosshairs since President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House. Many corporations have been proactively choosing to downsize their DEI programs or eliminate them completely. But one company is facing a unique level of backlash: Target.Timeka Tounsel, associate professor of Black studies in communication at the UW, is interviewed.
    02/20/2025 | KUOW
  • Analysis: A boycott campaign fuels tension between Black shoppers and Black-owned brands evoking the long struggle for consumer citizenship

    "In my research on marketing campaigns aimed at Black women, Ive examined how the struggle for consumer citizenship complicated the dynamic between Black entrepreneurs and consumers. On the one hand, businesses have long leveraged Black ownership as a unique selling proposition in and of itself, urging shoppers to view Black brand loyalty as a path to collective racial progress," writes Timeka Tounsel, assistant professor of Black studies in communication at the UW.
    02/10/2025 | The Conversation
  • New journal co-founded by NIH nominee raises eyebrows, misinformation fears

    The Journal of the Academy of Public Health claims to open up scientific communication. But its unusual editorial policies have some scientists concerned. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.
    02/10/2025 | Science
  • Bad Bunny fears Puerto Rico will become the new Hawaii he's not alone

    Bad Bunny's new album, "Debir Tirar Mas Fotos," dropped earlier this month. It features traditional folk music from Puerto Rico, where the artist is from. The lyrics touch on the gentrification of Puerto Rico and draw a stark parallel with Hawaii. Ileana Rodriguez-Silva, associate professor of history at the UW, is quoted.
    01/27/2025 | Business Insider
  • Expert joins KIRO Newsradio amid MLK Day to talk about race

    A massive 70-member choir belted out Hallelujah to open a Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day service Monday at his former congregation in Atlanta, followed by a stern message from his youngest daughter warning against anti-woke rhetoric. Ralina Joseph, associate professor of communication at the UW, is quoted.
    01/21/2025 | MyNorthwest
  • Opinion: Climate advocates finally won in WA how? By not talking about climate

    For the past decade or so, Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, has been teaching a course on climate politics in the UWs political science department. During that time, there have been three climate change initiatives on the ballot here. Hes had a front row seat for how policymakers, activists and campaigners have sought to frame and spin one of the toughest issues in politics.
    12/11/2024 | The Seattle Times
  • Learning While Playing in the Great Outdoors

    Combining classroom time and outdoors experiences, a Disability Studies course explores what it means to provide access and disability justice for community members in recreation spaces.

    December 2024 Perspectives
  • War’s public health impacts are vast — tallying them is difficult

    New research is shedding light on how war inflicts mortality, displaces families and erodes mental health. Nathalie Williams, professor of sociology and of international studies at the UW, is quoted.
    Salon
  • Opinion: Long prison sentences don’t keep Washington safe from crime

    "This time of year, aspiring elected officials insist that we must get tough on crime to keep us safe. 'Getting tough' almost always includes imposing more and longer prison sentences. Unfortunately, most of those claims are based on myths, fear, and half-truths. Therefore, voters should insist that calls for increased punishment be replaced by programs that can actually reduce crime, help victims, and increase public safety," writes David Trierweiler. Heather Evans, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at the UW School of Medicine, and Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and of law, societies and justice at the UW, are mentioned.
    Tacoma News Tribune
  • How Springfield, Ohio, became the center of a political firestorm

    A small Ohio city has been dominating headlines this past week, over claims that Haitian migrants have been killing pets and park birds for food. Sophia Jordán Wallace, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.
    Newsweek
  • Analysis: Starbucks CEO, climate change and corporate jets

    "The Starbucks saga reminds us that we live in an era of heightened climate sensibilities, where corporate reputations are tarnished by small acts of CEO’s perceived climate transgressions," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.
    Forbes
  • Opinion: Why Seattle’s idea for banishment in crime ‘hot spots’ won’t work

    "Rather than learn these same painful lessons [of banishment programs] over again, we suggest looking to other successful initiatives that involve skillful regulation of space, enforcement of conduct expectations, and multidepartment coordination rather than banning specific people from parts of the city," write Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and of law, societies and justice at the UW, and co-author Lisa Daugaard.
    The Seattle Times