"There is nothing inevitable about our current social setup. There is nothing inevitable about the current distribution of wealth, the current distribution of power, the current distribution of life chances. I'm constantly trying to interrupt what we've learned about how things should be and try to create new possibilities, both in practice and in my teaching and scholarship. We need to figure out ways to respond to crisis and harm. Without guns and without cages. I think ideas can open new paths and send people in new directions that they might not otherwise considered."
Angélica Cházaro is the Charles I. Stone Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law where she teaches critical race theory, poverty law, professional responsibility, and courses on immigration law.
Along with receiving numerous scholarships and a Lowenstein fellowship, Cházaro has been interviewed on both national and international news outlets for her work on behalf of immigrants. She is also co-founder of La Resistencia, a grassroots organization based in Washington state, working to end the detention of immigrants, stop deportations, and close the Northwest Detention Center.
By questioning commonly held assumptions about its inevitability, critiquing reform proposals that reify its logic, and providing examples of interventions that point toward the possibility of its demise.
Angélica Cházaro, assistant professor of law, discusses the origins of Critical Race Theory (CRT), ideas that unify CRT, and applications of CRT in a 2022 Seattle context. Both her scholarship and advocacy focus on shrinking reliance on policing, punishment, and incarceration as a response to social problems.
What to learn more about the Freedom Scholars?
Questions about the Freedom Scholar awards can be sent to freedomscholars@caseygrants.org.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM SCHOLAR AWARDS HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE INATAI FOUNDATION.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE FREEDOM SCHOLAR AWARDS HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE GROUP HEALTH FOUNDATION.
