The staff of the USC Equity Research Institute mourn the passing of our friend and colleague Kent Wong, renowned scholar-activist and labor movement trailblazer. As the former director of the UCLA Labor Center for over thirty years and professor of labor studies and Asian American studies, Kent has crossed paths and collaborated with many ERI staff, community allies, and affiliated researchers.

We grieve with Kent’s family, his colleagues, and all whose lives were made better by his spirit, wisdom, and compassion.

“It’s hard to even think of another person I know who had so much heart – so much love for people, so much kindness for family, so much loyalty to friends, so much courage to stand up for those so often relegated to the bottom by systems of hierarchy. Los Angeles knew no better defender of immigrants, no stronger supporter of undocumented students, no better sage at moving the labor movement to be a stalwart for justice,” said Manuel Pastor, Director of the USC Equity Research Institute.

Manuel and Kent’s friendship began back in college, when they lived on the same dorm floor and organized for the United Farm Workers. Their lives intertwined for the next four decades through collaborative research, movement organizing, family adventures, and a birthday – just two days apart – that they often celebrated together. Manuel has called their bond “proof that the struggle for justice can also be full of joy, loyalty, and love.”

Let us all continue to honor his enduring legacy by building bridges cross differences, supporting visionary institutions rooted in community and collective power, and mentoring the next generations of scholar-activists carrying justice and equity movements forward.

Rest in power, Kent Wong.