The UCLA Labor Center is deeply saddened to share that Kent Wong, our former director for more than 30 years, has passed away.
Since joining the UCLA Labor Center in 1991, Wong had been a transformative champion of the Los Angeles labor and social justice movements. Under his leadership, the center grew at an unprecedented rate. Expanding it from only three staff members to 42, as well as securing its permanent home in MacArthur Park, Wong cemented the UCLA Labor Center’s role as a groundbreaking hub for worker and immigrant justice.
His dedication to empowering undocumented communities in particular cannot be understated. During his tenure, the first Dream Resource Center for undocumented immigrant youth in California was founded in 2010, soon followed by Dream Summer—the first national fellowship program for undocumented youth.
In 2021, with the support of state senator María Elena Durazo, Wong’s advocacy secured funding from the California legislature to establish a permanent home for the UCLA Labor Center in the working-class neighborhood of MacArthur Park. The historic building was named in honor of worker and civil rights icon Rev. James Lawson Jr., Wong’s longtime mentor.
Wong’s steadfast commitment to expanding labor research and education has inspired countless minds throughout the years. As a key founder of the UCLA Labor Studies undergraduate program and professor for more than two decades, Wong taught thousands of students critical lessons about the labor and immigrant rights movements and, through enthusiastic mentorship, shaped future leaders in the fight for justice.
His legacy lives on with every staff member and student at the UCLA Labor Center.
