Kent Wong, UCLA Longtime Director Has Passed Away

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the public was notified of the death of Kent Wong, the longtime director of the UCLA Labor Center, through a variety of condolence messages posted on various social media platforms

For more than thirty years, Kent served as the director of the UCLA Labor Center, inspiring countless numbers of students, community leaders, and labor organizers.

At UCLA, he instructed classes in Asian American studies and labor studies. He also co-authored two books with Rev. James Lawson Jr. and taught a class on social movements and nonviolence for over twenty years.

He was the originator of APALA, having devoted countless hours to securing APALA's existence and assembling a group of AANHPI union members to serve as its initial steering committee.

He served as APALA's first president and, in many respects, their president for all time.

He created connections between workers, students, and justice groups because he firmly believed that hardworking people could make a difference in the world, and he continues to demonstrate this every day.

His unwavering dedication to worker power, equity, and immigrant rights bolstered unions in a variety of industries, including healthcare.

Los Angeles, UCLA, AAPI communities, and their movements all suffer greatly from Wong's passing. His bravery, compassion, and dedication to working people will endure.

Please keep his family, friends, and pupils in your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time.