Stewards of the Land: In Conversation with Stevie Ruiz and Jessica Kim

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ICW is proud to present Stevie Ruiz, professor of Chicana/o Studies at California State University, Northridge, in conversation with Jessica Kim about his new book, "Stewards of the Land: Race and Reclaiming Environmental Labor in the American West."

Challenging conventional histories that center white environmentalists, Ruiz reveals environmentalism in the American West as a multiracial project shaped by the labor, knowledge, and activism of Asian migrants and Chicana/o communities. Drawing on archival research and comparative ethnic studies, Stewards of the Land: Race and Reclaiming Environmental Labor in the American West traces the deep roots of environmental justice in struggles against land dispossession, labor exploitation, and racial inequality, offering a compelling new account of how frontline communities helped build and reimagine environmental spaces in the United States.

Top image: Shaffner, C. H., Group of men and women standing in front of cactus hedge, Pala Mission, 1887. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

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The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

ICW is a center for scholarly investigation of the history and culture of California and the American West. Through sponsorship of innovative scholarship, research, and programming, ICW draws on the resources of USC and the Huntington Library to build a unique collaboration among a research university, a research library, and the public