It is with deep sadness that we learned of the news of the passing of Kent Wong – a giant in our field, a beloved colleague and mentor, and a dear friend of so many of us at SLU.
Kent served as Director of the UCLA Labor Center for over three decades. At UCLA, he taught courses on labor and social justice; authored and edited works on immigrant rights and non-violent social movements; and built pioneering programs that empowered immigrant workers, nurtured young leaders, and fostered international solidarity. Under his leadership, the Center became a model for labor education.
Kent’s impact spanned the local, national, and international arenas of the labor movement. In Los Angeles, he was instrumental in developing labor–community coalitions and immigrant worker organizing efforts, using his booming voice and boundless energy to rally support and build unity across movements. At the State level, he helped develop a network of labor centers and research programs that advanced worker rights and public policy. As the founding President of the United Association for Labor Education (UALE), he helped build labor studies as both an academic discipline and a movement practice – and as founding President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, he nurtured a new generation of leaders. Internationally, he forged partnerships with labor educators and advocates in China, Vietnam, and Mexico, advancing a global vision of solidarity rooted in shared learning, mutual respect, and the belief that workers everywhere deserve dignity and justice.
At SLU, Kent was a colleague and collaborator. He was a frequent speaker and panelist at our public programs. He wrote for our journal, New Labor Forum and served as a founding member of its editorial board, where his insight and global perspective helped shape the journal’s voice. As a collaborator on SLU’s China Project, he strengthened the School’s international reach—building partnerships with labor educators and institutions abroad, advancing dialogue on worker rights and global solidarity, and expanding SLU’s role as a convener of international labor exchanges.
Beyond his formal roles, Kent was an unwavering supporter of SLU’s mission to educate leaders for social change. He championed SLU and our work at every opportunity. For those of us who knew Kent, his loss is profoundly personal. His generosity, grace, courage, compassion, and intellect will be deeply missed. But his legacy lives on in the countless people he taught, mentored, and inspired. We honor him best by continuing the work he began – building labor and social justice movements with dignity, solidarity, and hope.