University of Washington

The Department of History's commitment to social justice is an ongoing one. We believe that social justice is not something that can be achieved in a vacuum—that the stories, sources, and lessons of past moments of injustice and resistance must be remembered in order to battle the inequities of the present. Here are a few of the ways that students and faculty from the department are working to do just that. History in Action History professors Stephanie Smallwood (pictured above left), Ileana Rodriguez-Silva, and Moon-Ho Jung played a leading role in a teach-in event, titled "The Imperative of Racial Justice Activism," held January 11, 2016, by the UW Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity. The teach-in focused on the Black Lives Matter movement, with an emphasis on the collective contributions of undergraduate students, graduate students, racial activists, and professors toward advancing racial and social equality. The program asked questions such as "What does Black Lives Matter mean to you?" "How can universities play a role in activism?" and "How can the media make change?" The program also emphasized the need to cultivate "a critical consciousness." Professor Smallwood opened the teach-in with a talk emphasizing the importance of actively documenting the Black Lives Matter movement and using modern platforms like Twitter to control the spread of information. Department of History undergraduate Michael Moynihan was also a featured speaker, reading a poem he had written called "Student/Activist." The department is proud of the energetic role that its members played in addressing the critical issue of racial justice and in spreading awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wider community. DEMONSTRATING STUDENT LEADERSHIP Graduating senior Michael Moynihan (pictured above right) was not only a prominent contributor to the Black Lives Matter teach-in, but also the inaugural recipient of the Friends of History award for Outstanding Student Leadership. Michael is a double major in History and Philosophy. Perhaps more important, Michael has also distinguished himself as a leader and activist, seeking to bring attention to matters of racial equity and justice on campus and locally. As part of the Black Lives Matter campus movement, Michael has pushed the University of Washington to honor its commitment to diversity and inclusion in substantive ways. He has also published op-ed pieces about Black Lives Matter in the South Seattle Emerald, and he maintains an online blog offering a powerful perspective on race and social justice issues. Michael's knowledge of history and historical methods has helped shape and empower his activism. For example, Professor Stephanie Smallwood recalls that at the Black Lives Matter teach-in, Michael responded to a question that contained historical inaccuracies by "judiciously explaining what he had learned as a History major about the importance of supporting claims with verifiable evidence." She describes Michael's recent speech before the UW Board of Regents on the topic of prison divestment as "a powerful display of skills in research, analysis, and synthesis learned as a major in History." Professor Ileana Rodriguez-Silva adds: "Michael does not stay within the conventions of academic work. He understands power, he analyzes it, and then takes a step further to expand the classroom and teach others." BRINGING THE HISTORICAL DIMENSION TO BL ACK LIVES MAT TER 4  U N I V E R S I T Y O F W A S H I N G T O N

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