University of Washington

6  U N I V E R S I T Y O F W A S H I N G T O N A historian of the 20th-century United States, with a focus on critical race theory and comparative colonialism, Lai sees how her historical training has helped her work with underrepresented communities. "So much of what you do in history is engaged in the social reality and questions of a specific period. . . . Being so engaged with a set of socially important issues, historical or not, was great training for work in the public sector, and I've found many of the skills I developed during my degree highly transferable." In her position, Lai has been responsible for spearheading cultural programs and economic development initiatives. After she landed the job in July 2017, her training soon kicked in. When asked to overhaul the economic initiatives department, she noticed that many of the policies then in place were built around narratives and discourses about "the average immigrant" that she knew were historically limiting. These depicted immigrants in one of two stereotypes, as workers willing to take jobs that no one else would or as hard-driving immigrant entrepreneurs. Historically, these dialogues had caused friction for immigrants because they framed them as an economically distinct category, which pitted them against the rest of the workforce. Lai realized that programs based around these categories would not be the most effective in helping immigrants and their families. Recognizing that, like all people, not every immigrant will be an entrepreneur, she constructed a series of initiatives that focused on helping newcomers see themselves as workers and as part of the broader labor force. This series of initiatives resulted in the creation of the Immigrant Workers Academy. The academy offers workshops and resources designed to reframe immigrants' understanding of themselves, to educate them about their rights, and to empower them to fight for those rights. She recalls feeling a great sense of pride when at one of these workshops a young man spoke of how he had only seen immigrant workers portrayed in American movies doing the jobs that no one else wanted. He had no idea that those workers had rights and that he, too, as a worker could exercise such rights. "It's when I feel like I've given people a little nugget of empowerment that I'm most proud of my work," stated Lai. The other part of her position is overseeing cultural programs and events such as Immigrant Heritage Month each June. She explains that her big goal is "to make sure that immigrants are seen as three- dimensional people and individuals, not just as a category." Again, her historical training has proved vital. "It's with stories and good storytelling that I can achieve this goal because stories are a way to see past your differences and build communities. I try to curate events where a number of diverse immigrant perspectives are included." The department is proud to see our alumni doing such important and socially engaged work. HISTORY ALUMNA WORKING TO HELP IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES FLOURISH It's always great when we receive updates from alumni about their work since graduating. One recent Department of History graduate, Symbol Lai, who received her PhD in spring 2017, has been putting her skills and talents to use helping immigrant communities as deputy director for the City of Philadelphia's Office of Immigrant Affairs. For more on the City of Philadelphia's Office of Immigrant Affairs, visit its website at beta.phila.gov/departments/ office-of-immigrant-affairs/. For more on Symbol Lai's work with the Immigrant Workers Academy, see philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/ philadelphia-immigrant-workers-academy-mayor- kenney-20180503.html. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY ALUMNA, SYMBOL LAI, AT WORK IN PHILADELPHIA. 6  U N I V E R S I T Y O F W A S H I N G T O N

• Cover