Social Justice

In February, the UW Symphony will perform a symphony that Coast Salish elder Vi Hilbert commissioned years ago to heal the world after the heartbreak of 9/11. The symphony was first performed by the Seattle Symphony in 2006.

Public safety in the Chinatown-International District (CID) takes an important step forward with a targeted educational campaign. More than 100 elderly residents and their family members gathered on Nov. 15 at the International District/Chinatown Community Center for CID Cares, a community safety program for one of Seattles most vulnerable populations. The event is supported in part by the UW American ethnic studies department.

Close to 100 people gathered on Nov. 15 at the Chinatown-International District Community Center for a celebratory launch of a project more than a year in the making: a public safety pamphlet called "With Love for Our Grandparents & Seniors." The comic book-style guide provides safety tips for seniors in both English and Cantonese, including education on common scams and support resources in the event of an emergency or attack. Connie So, teaching professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

Sixty years after one of the 20th centurys worst atrocities, three scholars gathered at the UW to confront a question that is still connected to Indonesia: What does it mean to commemorate a genocide? Nazry Bahrawi, assistant professor of Asian languages & literature at the UW, is quoted.

Despite the Makah Tribes success in getting a waiver to carry out their exclusive treaty right for whaling, the permitting process that had dragged on for over 20 years has now been effectively delayedanother year and a half because of bogged-down federal bureaucracy. Joshua Reid, associate professor of history and of American Indian studies at the UW, is quoted.

UW Professor Connie So and interns in the Department of American Ethnic Studies take part in launching an educational campaign to support elderly Asian Americans in protecting themselves from crime and scams.

As King County officials work through the budget process, they are engaged in deciding the future of a restorative justice program diverting youth from the criminal legal system. Sarah Cusworth Walker, research professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the UW School of Medicine and Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and of law, societies and justice at the UW, are quoted.

American Indian Studies professor Dian Million received a Freedom Scholar Award, which honors leading academics whose visionary work advances social and economic justice.

In part two of this investigation, public records show a Bellingham staffer asking ChatGPT to write responses to emails about parking, traffic, a homeless camp and more. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT are used more and more by local governments, adoption is often outpacing potential safeguards and ethical guardrails. Emily M. Bender, professor of linguistics at the UW, is quoted.

A city program that gives low-income households $40 a month to buy fruits and vegetables significantly improved their food security, a new University of Washington study found. Melissa Knox, UW teaching professor of economics, is quoted.

New research from the UW indicates that Seattles Fresh Bucks program, which provides monthly stipends to buy fruits and vegetables, significantly improves food security and boosts fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income residents. Melissa Knox, UW teaching professor of economics, is quoted.

The UW's Center for Human Rights is warning that federal immigration action has crossed a new boundary, breaking International humanitarian law. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies, and justice and of international studies, as well as director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

A new study from the University of Washington shows that households enrolled in the City of Seattle's Fresh Bucks program experience a 31% higher rate of food security and consume at least three daily servings of fruits and vegetables 37% more often than those assigned to a program waitlist. Fresh Bucks, a $40 a month benefit, works with local partners to help residents access fresh food.

Seven suspected tuberculosis cases at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma have sparked urgent questions about health conditions and medical care at the federal immigration detention facility. Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies, and justice and of international studies, as well as director of the Center for Human Rights at the UW, is quoted.

The two-month patrol stopped supposedly suspicious individuals from crossing into California from other states. But its execution was uneven, and the initiative proved controversial. James Gregory, professor of history at the UW, is quoted.