Social Justice

An executive producer of a Bainbridge-made documentary, Gina Corpuz, is also the daughter of an aboriginal woman who survived an Indian residential school in Canada. She made a documentary to reveal the untold stories of the Indipinos with help from the Bainbridge Island community. Rick Bonus, professor of American ethnic studies at the UW, is quoted.

"A GoFundMe campaign is a poor — and unfair — substitute for functional social programs. The crowdfunding business, to which hundreds of thousands of people turned for help with rent and other basic needs during the pandemic, may well be a platform for 'inspiring acts of kindness,' but every donation also dictates who is being left behind," write Nora Kenworthy, associate professor of nursing and health studies at UW Bothell, and Mark Igra, a graduate student in sociology at the UW.

"As researchers of policing and homelessness, we have seen an unmistakable rise in homeless sweeps and encampment crackdowns since the late 1990s. This response to visible poverty results from a collision of forces, both in Canada and the United States: the decline of affordable housing and mental-health services, and local governments’ desires to revitalize business districts, boost tourism and attract high-income residents," write Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and of law, societies and justice at the UW, and Forrest Stuart of Stanford University.

Ross Reynolds reviews the week’s news with KUOW reporter Esmy Jimenez, New York Times technology correspondent Karen Weise, and Publicola police accountability reporter Paul Kiefer on the “Week in Review” podcast. Topics include the demands by some UW students and faculty to disband the UW police department and a report by Oregon Public Broadcasting that the Clark County sheriff’s office shared information with ICE, which references the UW Center for Human Rights.

In the Honors course "Abolishing Poverty," students untangle the interwoven complexities that lead to impoverishment.

Because of the pandemic, high school seniors across Washington experienced a tumultuous end to their secondary education. But while all kinds of students struggled to adjust to virtual learning, student life has been particularly difficult for students in high-poverty districts. This story was written for a UW journalism class by Renee Diaz, Patric Haerle and Faith Noh.

Records recently obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting show Clark County Sheriff’s Office continues to share inmates’ personal information — particularly that of Latinos — with ICE. As recently as February, the jail and federal agents communicated almost daily. The UW’s Angelina Godoy, professor of law, societies and justice and of international studies and director of the Center for Human Rights, is quoted.

“Despite nearly four decades since the documentary [‘Streetwise’] first moved audiences with its portrayal of kids in crisis, the dismissive attitude of some to the film suggests why the crisis of homelessness has yet to be redressed, and why punitive responses only further contribute to the crisis itself,” writes Andrew Heddon, a doctoral student in history and associate director of the UW’s Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies.

"Trees can cushion urban areas from heat waves … This also means that trees reduce energy costs for running fans and air conditioners, a crucial issue for poor households that tend to spend a higher share of their household budgets on energy," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis and the coalition behind him believes he’s found the right formula to take on the city’s homeless crisis. That formula is the JustCare program, a collaboration between the city and a coalition of businesses, service providers and outreach teams that work together to get the unsheltered into housing while also keeping public spaces clear without the need to involve police. Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology at the UW, is referenced.

Mark Igra, graduate student in sociology, explains the results of his new study on digital fund-raising equality.

Online charity drives help some in need, but don’t expect them to fill the gaps in the social safety net. Mark Igra, a graduate student in sociology at the UW, and Nora Kenworthy, an associate professor of nursing and health studies at UW Bothell, are quoted.

House Bill 1016 will make Juneteenth a legal Washington state holiday starting next year. This Saturday, June 19, will mark the first Juneteenth since Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law. Work by Quintard Taylor, professor emeritus of history at the UW, is quoted.

This week, President Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a national holiday. But there are myths and omissions surrounding the telling of this day and that period in history, according to LaTaSha Levy, an assistant professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington, and it’s critical to understand the past and present need to fight for, and celebrate, Black freedom.

KUOW presents a special statewide broadcast on Asian and Pacific Islander identities and experiences in America today. Douglas Ishii, assistant professor of English at the UW, is interviewed.