Chinese American Pioneer for Social Justice and Labor Equality, Kent Wong, Passes Away

LAPost / Los Angeles, October 9, 2025 (Thursday) — The UCLA Labor Center announced with great sorrow on October 8 the passing of its former director, Kent Wong, a leading figure in social justice and the labor movement who devoted over three decades to advancing workers’ rights and immigrant equity.

Kent Wong was the son of the late Judge Delbert Wong, a renowned Chinese American jurist from Kaiping, Guangdong, and a third-generation Chinese immigrant. Judge Wong served as Deputy Legislative Counsel for the State of California and, in 1959, was appointed by then-Governor Pat Brown as the first Chinese American judge in the continental United States (California Superior Court). Growing up in a family deeply rooted in law and public service, Kent developed from an early age a strong commitment to justice and the empowerment of marginalized communities.

A graduate of the Peoples College of Law in Los Angeles—a school founded in 1974 by the National Lawyers Guild together with Asian, Latino, and Black legal associations to advance social equality—Wong passed the California Bar in 1984 and became the first staff attorney for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (now Asian Americans Advancing Justice). He later joined SEIU Local 660, where he continued his frontline advocacy for workers’ rights.

Since taking leadership of the UCLA Labor Center in 1991, Wong expanded the center from a three-person office to a staff of 42, establishing its permanent home in MacArthur Park and turning it into a national hub for labor and immigrant rights research. In 2010, he founded California’s first Dream Resource Center for undocumented youth and launched the nation’s first Dream Summer Fellowship. In 2021, he successfully secured state funding for the center’s permanent facility, later named in honor of his mentor and civil rights leader, Rev. James Lawson Jr.

As co-founder of UCLA’s Labor Studies undergraduate program and a professor for over twenty years, Wong taught courses in Labor Studies and Asian American Studies, mentoring thousands of students. He also served as the founding president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and vice president of the California Federation of Teachers, earning the reputation among students and colleagues as “a guiding light in the labor movement.”

Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Chair Pro Teem and First District Supervisor and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, said in her statement on October 9:

“Kent was not only my dear friend of thirty years but also a mentor and brother to countless workers. His efforts led to the creation of labor centers across nine California universities. He was a bridge between education and social justice.”

National labor organizations including the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) also issued tributes, stating:

“Professor Wong’s vision and leadership inspired an entire generation of labor organizers. He reminded us that the fight for economic justice is inseparable from the pursuit of racial equality and human dignity.”

Throughout his life, Wong was a tireless advocate for immigrants and low-wage workers. He once emphasized:

“There are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. They bore the hardest burdens during the pandemic yet remain invisible. Understanding their humanity and their contributions is the first step toward a truly just society.”

As stated in the UCLA Labor Center’s obituary:

“His spirit will forever inspire all who work and learn here.”

(By: Richard Ren / LAPost)