Aoki Blog

On November 11, 2025, the Aoki Center sponsored an online interview with Donald K. Tamaki, who served on the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. King Hall student Jenny Feng ’26 conducted the interview, which also featured Aoki Center Director Kevin Johnson and Professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin. Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Sarine assisted with the project.

Watch the interview below:

Read the California Reparations Report.

On Feb. 25, the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies at UC Davis School of Law and a coalition of constitutional, civil rights, and other scholars led by Professor Evelyn M. Rangel-Medina filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. Barbara. A team from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle LLP acted as pro bono counsel.

Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 5 p.m.
Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St, Sacramento, CA, 95814

The Lorenzo Patiño Banquet is a public service awards ceremony and scholarship fundraiser named in memory of Judge Lorenzo Patiño, whose career exemplified the commitment to public service and diversity that defines King Hall.

The Nest Collab: A Disability Justice and Chronic Illness Project, supported by the Mellon Foundation, invites you to join us for:

Care at the End of the World: Dreaming of Infrastructure in Crip-of-Color Writing

HIA Book Talk Series: Megan Raschig
Fri, Feb 27, 2026, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
L.J. Andrews Conference Room (SSH 2203)

Queer Throughlines: Stories of Queer Activism in South Korea and the Korean Diaspora

• Monday February 2nd, 4:10-5:30pm Hart Hall 3201
• Pre-event for Students: 3pm-3:50pm "Meeting with the Author" Hart Hall 3201

Ju Hui Judy Han is a cultural geographer and associate professor in Gender Studies at UCLA. She is committed to building critical and transnational conversations concerning gender, sexuality, and activism, and regularly contributes to community-based projects and public events both on campus and beyond.

Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 6:00pm - 7:30pm, Gorman Museum of Native American Art

Lecture and Reception Free and Open to the Public

From Empower Yolo:

This November, as we observe Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 17–24) and prepare for Thanksgiving, we invite you to reflect on the many families in our community facing food and housing insecurity. Empower Yolo encourages you to join us in supporting this national campaign through learning, service, action, or giving.

According to the Yolo Food Bank, 1 in 3 households in Yolo County experience food insecurity—far above state and national averages, despite our region’s agricultural abundance.

Join Professors Courtney Joslin, Brian Soucek and Aaron Tang for an in-depth discussion of the Supreme Court's LGBTQ+ jurisprudence across two consecutive terms. Our distinguished faculty panelists will analyze the most significant cases from last term and examine the emerging docket for this term, exploring how the Court's approach to LGBTQ+ rights is evolving. This comparative analysis will provide crucial insights into recent developments in constitutional law and the trajectory of LGBTQ+ litigation at the nation's highest court.

Print Launch & Artist Talk: A Conversation with Stan Padilla
Date: Thursday, October 9 
Time: 6:30 p.m. 
Location: TANA / Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer