Social Justice

  • What is May Day?

    Seattle sees thousands mobilize on May Day each year to advocate for immigrant and worker rights, echoing traditions starting from labor protests decades ago. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.

    05/02/2025 | KING 5
  • Analysis: Claims of anti-Christian bias sound to some voters like a message about race, not just religion

    "President Donald Trump and members of his administration have long used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters," co-write the UW's Clara Wilkins, associate professor of psychology, and Rosemary (Marah) Al-Kire, a postdoctoral researcher of psychology.

    04/18/2025 | The Conversation
  • Philly group remembers gun violence victims through music

    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.

    04/05/2025 | WHYY/NPR
  • 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
  • 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