With tremendous sorrow and respect, the AFL-CIO Executive Council honors the life and memory of Kent Wong—labor educator, champion for worker and immigrant rights, and founder of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.
A fifth-generation Chinese American and graduate of the People's College of Law, Wong began his career as the first staff attorney of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California before joining SEIU Local 660. In 1991, he became director of the UCLA Labor Center, a position he held for more than three decades. Under his leadership, the Labor Center grew into a national hub for labor research, leadership development and community partnership.
Wong fought for a labor education practice that was grounded in anti-racism and dignity for every worker. He co-founded UCLA’s Labor Studies department, teaching nonviolence and social movements alongside the Rev. James Lawson Jr. In 2000, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the United Association for Labor Education and served as its first president.
Wong believed that a labor movement worthy of its name must be rooted in justice for all workers and must embrace those most marginalized. He was instrumental in bringing immigrants and undocumented youth to the forefront of union strategy. He called on our unions, worker centers, and grassroots organizations to build broad coalitions to vanquish oppression and injustice.
We remember Kent Wong for his generosity, his vision, and his decades of commitment to teaching, organizing, and bridge-building. His legacy lives on in the organizations he founded, the movements he strengthened, and the generations of leaders he mentored and inspired. The AFL-CIO Executive Council—and our entire labor movement—owe him an immeasurable debt.