Stewart Kwoh

Honorary Degrees
 
 


California State University, Los Angeles​

Stewart Kwoh is an unwavering champion for educational equity, social justice and civic engagement. He has dedicated his professional career to building multiethnic and multiracial coalitions and advocating on behalf of historically underrepresented and underserved communities.

In 1983, Mr. Kwoh co-founded Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA), the largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans and Asian Pacific Islanders in the United States. Under Mr. Kwoh’s leadership, AAAJ-LA successfully challenged racially discriminatory employment practices and unfair immigration laws. The organization has also pushed for stronger protections for low-wage workers, immigrants and victims of hate crimes. Mr. Kwoh founded AAAJ-LA’s Leadership Development in Interethnic Relations program, which has trained more than 1,000 community leaders in collaboration with African American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander and LGBTQ communities.

Mr. Kwoh’s community coalition efforts have also focused on improving higher education opportunities. In 2015, AAAJ-LA launched College for All, a multiracial, cross-sector coalition that has championed reinvestment in public higher education to promote greater access, affordability and equity. The coalition’s efforts have been endorsed by more than 40 organizations, including the California State Student Association. Mr. Kwoh was raised in Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He serves as a lecturer at UCLA, where he teaches an Asian Americans and Law course.

Mr. Kwoh has been honored with numerous awards in recognition of his public service, including a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a Liberty Hill Foundation Changemaker Award and a Civic Medal of Honor from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. He was named Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer magazine and received an Alumni of the Year for Public and Community Service Award from the UCLA School of Law.

In recognition of his distinguished career, his role as an advocate for social justice and his contributions to fostering community collaboration, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State University, Los Angeles are proud to confer upon Stewart Kwoh an honorary Doctor of Laws.