Advancing the values of diversity, equity and inclusion is core to our mission at the University of Washington. Equity Focus amplifies a sampling of the stories, news and events that highlight this great work happening across our tri-campus community.
Feature Stories
From classrooms to KEXP, UW lecturer shares love of Indigenous music
December 2, 2024
Every Monday between 3 and 5 a.m., Tory Johnston welcomes listeners to Sounds of Survivance, playing cross-continental Indigenous music from a variety of genres. After sunrise, Johnston can be found in the UW’s Department of American Indian Studies, teaching classes like “United States/Indian Relations” and “Contemporary Indigenous Environmental Issues."
A Message from the UDO: UW Celebrates National First-Generation College Celebration Day
October 31, 2024
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
On November 8, we will join the Council for Opportunity in Education, NASPA’s Center for First-Generation Student Success, and higher education institutions across the country in celebrating National First-Generation College Celebration Day. This day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, a pivotal moment that expanded access to higher education for many, including first-generation college students.
As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand the challenges and rewards of this journey. The path may be filled with uncertainties, but it is also paved with opportunities for growth and success. Through your strong character and academic excellence, you will thrive. However, I encourage you to ask for help when needed. Asking for help is a sign of strength and wisdom, not a weakness.
At the University of Washington, we are committed to supporting our first-generation students, faculty and staff from UW Bothell, to Seattle, to UW Tacoma. Your presence enriches the whole of our campus community and brings diverse perspectives that are invaluable to the collective Husky Experience. We recognize the strength and determination it takes to be a trailblazer, and we are here to support you every step of the way.
This year, we have planned a series of events and activities to celebrate the first-gen Husky Experience These events are designed to connect you with fellow first-generation students, faculty and staff and to provide opportunities for personal and professional development. We encourage you to participate and to take advantage of the support available to you.
To all our first-generation students, faculty and staff, know that you belong here and that your contributions are deeply valued. UW Provost Tricia Serio, UW Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange, countless other faculty, staff and notable UW alumni share the first-gen experience with you. You can find encouragement in their stories and the stories of others that are shared on the UW First-Generation College Celebration website.
Together, we will continue to foster an environment where every first-generation student can achieve their full academic potential.
Thank you for being a part of our community and for celebrating this important day with us. Let’s continue to support each other and to celebrate the diverse experiences that make our university excellent.
In Community,
Rickey Hall
University of Washington
University Diversity Officer
Prof. LaShawnDa L. Pittman Awarded a 2024 ACLS Digitial Justice Seed Grant
October 2, 2024
Professor Pittman has been awarded for the project, "The Black Grandmother Worldmaking Library," which is a collaborative, community-based model for gathering, archiving, and digitizing our "libraries" (Black grandmothers' stories and cultural inheritances, e.g., material possessions, cultural traditions, rituals, language, etc.) across multiple, preservable websites that will be strategically and complementarily linked. This publicly accessible digital resource allows Black grandmothers to contribute to and control the stories we tell about their lives.
CREATE awarded $4.6M for research on AI risks, opportunities for people with disabilities
October 2, 2024
What risks do recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) pose for people with disabilities? And what opportunities might they offer for improving accessibility? For some time now, CREATE researchers have been exploring these pressing questions.
Coming Home: Nocona Abrams returned to the Yakima Valley to improve mental health care for her community.
August 19, 2024
When Abrams returned home to her community and a new job, at Yakama Nation Behavioral Health Services in Toppenish, she immediately began drawing from her experience and studies. In her first year on the job, she worked on grants to help prevent suicide and substance use, and to promote mental health for American Indian and Alaska Native youth.
UW researchers develop data visualization tool to advance child welfare
August 6, 2024
HCDE alumnus John Fowler (PhD '23), now a Research Scientist and Engineer in the UW School of Social Work, and HCDE Professor Mark Zachry have developed VizCare, are advancing access to visualizations of foster care data.
Dr. Vanessa Lopez-Littleton named dean of UW Bothell’s School of Nursing & Health Studies
August 6, 2024
Lopez-Littleton is an award-winning scholar who researches the structural causes of health inequities, with a focus on naming, measuring and addressing the impacts of social, economic and political influences on health and well-being.
From heritage to horizons: Joy laden with the weight of history for Indigenous and Native doctoral graduates
July 1, 2024
In an achievement that reverberates with hope, the University of Washington College of Education proudly announces the graduation of ten Indigenous or Native doctoral students this month.
Brennon Ham and the Q Center enhance a brave, affirming, liberatory, celebratory environment at the UW
June 28, 2024
The Q Center that Brennon now leads, on the third floor of the HUB, has been around for over 20 years, the product of labor and care and love and activism of so many students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members. “I’m standing on the shoulders of giants,” Brennon says, “which is pretty special.”
Building a Family Through Tribal Canoe Journey
June 25, 2024
Kuhn and her children are part of the new Shell House Canoe Family, č̓away̓altxʷ ʔiišəd, made up of UW students, alumni, faculty, staff, elders, and other community members. The group spent the past year planning its first canoe journey.