I work as a monitor for the Bird Friendly Campus research project. This is an initiative led by Ph.D. student Judy Bowes that aims to protect birds around the University of Washington campus by assessing bird collisions with buildings. The project is closely related to the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project sponsored by Birds Connect Seattle, formerly the Seattle Audubon Society. Birds Connect Seattle is one of several chapters of the National Audubon Society which have vowed to change their name. In March of 2023, however, the National Audubon Society announced its decision to keep its name despite the troubled history of its namesake, John James Audubon... (Read more!) 

This essay aims to highlight the relationship between international and local strategies of activism and between symbolic and direct action. Demonstrations involving the extralegal occupation of a physical space, generally government or private property, which I will refer to as “occupation activism,” epitomized activists’ goals of visibility and dignified humanity. This forced local authorities to confront the continued presence and needs of marginalized communities. My experiences abroad and a previous class project about occupation activism at Pine Ridge inspired me to rethink the transregional impacts of art as symbolic activism and direct action through occupation. Occupation activism historically coincides with cascading trends of social justice through extra-legal social disruption pursuing self-determination... (Read more!) 

Last quarter, I wrote a research paper for HSTEU 451: East-Central Europe Since 1342 with Professor Felak (HIGHLY recommend) focusing on how authors of folk stories sought to create a national identity during the Czech National Revival of the nineteenth century. In it, I was confronted with the questions of authenticity and how to interpret multi-layered stories written in one time and place but inspired by another—those stories that tend to fall under the categories of written folklore or mythology... (Read more!) 

“Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family’s Fate” by Albert Samaha is a deeply personal, compelling, and insightful book that explores modern Filipino history and the experience of immigration for Filipino Americans. The book follows the Concepcion family in their journey from the Philippines to America, while skillfully weaving in historical context and engaging, down-to-earth personal stories from Samaha’s life... (Read more!) 

During my freshman year, I came across the Emma B. Andrews Diary Project headed by Dr. Sarah Ketchley as a potential internship I could apply for. After being accepted as an intern, I spent the next couple of quarters reading first-hand accounts of archaeologists working in Egypt during the 19th and 20th centuries. The development of Egyptology by Western academic institutions, following the colonial histories of the state, provided a fascinating topic of study, one which I began to pursue last year... (Read more!) 

Nearly 100 years ago on February 19th, 1942 the signing of Executive Order 9066 authorized the forcible internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants across the West Coast of the United States based on “national security” following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Internment took a devastating economic and social toll on Japanese-American communities, who were forced to leave behind their homes, businesses, and lives they had established... (Read more!) 

During the 20th and 21st centuries, the Viking Age has made its way into the mass media - from Marvel’s Thor to the History Channel’s Vikings, tales of extraordinary warriors from present-day Scandinavia have been a common theme in the entertainment industry. While depictions of old Nordic civilizations have captured audiences of many distinctions, there has been an unprecedented rise in its popularity among hate groups and white supremacists... (Read more!) 

TW: Brief Mention of Sexual Assault

Medusa, Eve, Pandora. These easily recognizable figures in mythology have been reimagined and referenced in culture for centuries. Most, if not all, know their respective stories. How do these ancient examples of “evil” or “foolhardy” women exist within our culture now? (Read more!) 

After over two years of being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Northwest African American Museum has reopened! Year-round, the museum features exhibits on the historical contributions of African American people to the Pacific Northwest Region, sharing the stories of black settlers, WWII pilots, activists, and many others...(Read more!) 

“Jeanne d’Arc a été brûlée sur le bûcher.”

“Here?”

In the late morning, the old city square in Rouen is quiet, with very few people outside of our conspicuously American group of sleepy college students receiving a history lesson in moderately paced French. The picturesque half-timbered buildings – well-restored and converted into restaurants and cafes which predominantly advertise authentic Norman cuisine – point to the city’s medieval past... (Read more!)