The immigrant and labor community mourn the passing of long-time activist and educator Kent Wong

Kent Wong, educator, professor and long-time advocate for the labor and social movements died on Oct. 8. He was 69. 

The cause was cardiopulmonary failure due to complications from endocarditis.

Wong was the UCLA Labor Center director for more than 30 years and the project director for Labor and Community Partnerships at UCLA. He was dedicated to empowering the labor and undocumented community, especially the youth. 

Saba Waheed, UCLA Labor Center director, said Wong was a trailblazer and ahead of his time. 

“If the laws were not just, he would be there to push back on them and challenge the systems to ensure that people had the rights that they deserved and the access,” she said. “And when he couldn't do that, he built programs.”

In 2010 he founded the first Dream Resource Center for undocumented immigrant youth in California, followed by Dream Summer—the first national fellowship program for undocumented youth. This retreat would create professional opportunities for undocumented and immigrant young people. 

Former California Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo remembered Wong as a leader and advocate for the DREAM Act. Carrillo said on a post that when she was younger, she knew she wanted to do more for the immigrant community and Wong guided her. 

“It was through Kent and the UCLA Labor Center that I truly learned what it meant to be a community organizer,” she said in a statement. “He mentored so many of us, and the UCLA Labor Center by MacArthur Park was a sanctuary – a place where we learned, organized and felt safe and seen.”

Carrillo said it was Wong who encouraged her and motivated her to become a leader and then he supported her when she decided to run for office in 2016. 

Wong taught at labor studies and Asian American studies UCLA. He previously served as staff attorney for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He was the founding president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and the founding president of the United Association for Labor Education.

Advocating for workers’ rights in and out of the country

California Senator Maria Elena Durazo said in a statement Wong that was a dedicated leader in the labor movement and tireless champion for immigrant workers. 

“As Project Director at @uclalabor and beloved teacher, Kent [Wong] inspired generations of students while building bridges between workers, communities and nations,” Durazo stated.

In 2007 she and Wong led a delegation to China where they established the first-ever sister-city relations between a U.S. central labor council and labor councils in Shanghai and Beijing. 

“[Wong] understood that the labor movement transcends borders, and that solidarity with workers everywhere strengthens us all,” she said. 

In 2021, with the support of Durazo, Wong’s advocacy secured funding from the California legislature to establish a permanent home for the UCLA Labor Center in the MacArthur Park area. 

Waheed said at this time there are not any specific dates yet, but they will make a public announcement when there’s an event honoring the life and legacy of Wong.