Recent News

The faculty and staff of the Department of American Ethnic Studies express our sincere grief and condolences for lives lost in Israel and Palestine and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. We stand in solidarity with groups working for peace and justice, as well as with our students and community members who are afraid and mourning. We reject the notion that naming the dead and contextualizing contemporary events in a much longer history of colonization and occupation is an endorsement of the… Read more
The Department of American Ethnic Studies is sponsoring a book release event at the Simpson Center on Wednesday November 15th from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. Join us as our department chair sits down with author Elmer Dixon in his new book "Die Standing: From Black Panther Revolutionary to Global Diversity Consultant." Admission is free and open to all AES faculty/students but space is limited. We encourage individuals to RSVP by clicking on the register tab on our events calendar. If you need… Read more
Join us as our very own Oliver Rollins along with Dr. Bianca Dang from UW's history department run a graduate school prep workshop on October 20th from 1:00 to 3:00 Pm in the student union building (HUB.) Upper classmen in their undergraduate years are encouraged to attend as Professor Rollins and Dr. Dang dive into topics such as: Creating graduate application checklists & understanding the requirements for each major Grad school funding options Making letters of recommendation from… Read more
The Department of American Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies are proud to co-sponsor a book talk at the Wing Luke Museum on Saturday November 4th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Admission is free and AES students, staff and faculty are encouraged to attend this event as Author and former AAS professor Douglas Lee examines The Gum-Shaan Chronicles: The Early History of Cantonese-Chinese America. More information about the event can be found… Read more
This past summer, the Washington State Attorney General's Office appointed UW AES alum Alyssa Au in the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division. Au previously did some work in the private sector after getting her Law Degree at The University of Pittsburgh School of Law before returning to Seattle and going over to the public section at the height of COVID in 2020. Alyssa graduated from The University of Washington with a double major… Read more
Schoolyear 2022-2023 is upon us, and we’re excited to begin it with you!  I was just saying a version of this greeting to my ten-year-old grandnephew who is similarly embarking on a return to school.  And as soon as he facially responded with what looked like a combination of dread and hesitation, I said to him, why don’t we just give it a try and embrace what’s up ahead?  Doing so will, at the very least, take us a step forward into facing our negative energies head on. For starters,… Read more
This past weekend, our very own Connie So was interviewed by the local FOX station KCPQ in response to the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in the Seattle Area particularly the Chinatown-International District. Along with Japanese American Citizens League Seattle Chapter Co-President Stan Shikuma and Maria Batayola of the Filipino American Political Action Group of Washington, Professor So demanded city leaders including Mayor Bruce Harrell take action against discrimination… Read more
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The Department of American Ethnic Studies along with the Wing Luke Museum and City of Seattle are proud to co-sponsor a book premiere event at the Rainer Arts Center on September 30th from 11:00 to 12:30.  There is limited parking available. Those who are interested in attending the event are encouraged to take the light rail as it is located a couple of blocks from the Columbia City Station. For more information about the event you can check it out on the OCA Greater… Read more
The Department of American Ethnic Studies along with other College of Arts and Sciences departments is proud to co-sponsor a Q&A screening event at the communications building on Wednesday October 11th at 6:30 PM. Director Deann Borshay Liem and executive director of the Women Cross DMZ program Christine Ahn will be there to explain about their film which talks about how they experienced harsh challenges at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.  The film is called… Read more
On April 24th, 2023, the American Ethnics Department lost a trailblazing pioneer and friend in Artist Alfredo Arreguín he was 88 years old. Arreguín's work continues to have profound impacts across the UW landscape and Pacific Northwest region for Chicano artists. He paved the way for younger Chicano individuals to bring their talents through the concepts of artwork. Our very own Chicano Studies professor Lauro Flores is a very dear friend of Arreguín and encourages all to participate in a… Read more