Since 2015, the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) has been a vital hub for equity-centered scholarship and mentorship. Under the leadership of Director Ralina Joseph, PhD, and Co-Director Carmen González, PhD, along with four affiliated faculty, the CCDE has mentored over 20 MA and PhD students whose groundbreaking research continues to shape academic and public discourse. Many have gone on to secure tenure-track positions at top R1 institutions, publishing award-winning books and peer-reviewed articles that exemplify the center’s deep commitment to excellence, justice, and community engagement.
Remarkably, the center’s daily operations have been sustained by just two dedicated staff members, proving that a small, purpose-driven team can drive transformative impact.
THE BEGINNING
The Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) was founded in 2015 by Professor Ralina Joseph to create a space for critical dialogue, community engagement, and equity-driven research on identity, power, and justice. Through initiatives like Interrupting Privilege and the Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL), the CCDE brings together students, scholars, and communities to challenge systemic inequities and co-create meaningful change.
MILESTONE: FROM RODNEY KING TO MICHAEL BROWN
In November 2014, the CCDE hosted a pivotal forum, Media’s Impact on the Portrayal of Black Males, amid national outrage following the events in Ferguson, Missouri. This urgent conversation explored how media shapes public perception and policy surrounding Black lives. It became a foundational moment in the creation of the CCDE.
MILESTONE 2 – TEACH-INS
In the winter of 2015, the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) began hosting teach-ins as a core part of its programming. From the start, the CCDE has embraced the spirit of teach-ins by creating intentional, inclusive spaces for critical conversations and collective learning. Whether through public forums, student-led discussions, or community storytelling events, the CCDE continues this tradition as a form of resistance, education, and empowerment. These gatherings center historically excluded voices and invite participants to reflect, question, and act. In doing so, the CCDE helps transform the university into a more equitable and community-connected institution.
MILESTONE 3 -INTERRUPTING
PRIVILEGE
A cornerstone of the CCDE’s public scholarship, Interrupting Privilege is a dialogue-based program that brings intergenerational participants together to unpack lived experiences with racism, identity, and systemic inequality. Since its launch in Spring 2015, the program has explored topics ranging from first encounters with racism to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 1,000 recorded conversations from 250+ participants, and the contributions of more than 20 student research assistants, Interrupting Privilege continues to serve as a powerful archive and platform for community storytelling, reflection, and resistance.
MILESTONE 4 – ANNUAL
CONFERENCES
Since its founding, the CCDE has hosted annual conferences that create space for critical dialogue, collective learning, and community connection. These gatherings have explored topics such as media representation, public health, environmental justice, and racial classification through events like Racial Ecologies, Race and Media (sponsored by Microsoft), Racial Categories and the 2020 Census, Health Equity Research & Advocacy in Washington, Quarantining While Black, and Resistance Through Resilience in partnership with the UW Resilience Lab. Each conference brings together UW students, faculty, and staff with community members to learn, reflect, and build toward equity together.
MILESTONE 5 – HEALTH EQUITY
ACTION LAB (HEAL)
The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) was founded in 2023 by CCDE Co-Director Dr. Carmen Gonzalez as a community-rooted, equity-driven research collective committed to advancing public health through justice-oriented inquiry. The lab doubles as a rigorous training ground for graduate students, offering hands-on experience in health equity research, grant writing, publishing, and navigating academia. HEAL cultivates the next generation of scholars and practitioners dedicated to building a more inclusive and responsive public health ecosystem by combining mentorship with community-based practice.
MILESTONE 6 – INTERRUPTING
PRIVILEGE MUSEUM EXHIBIT
In May 2024, the CCDE proudly launched its first-ever Interrupting Privilege museum exhibition at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle’s historic Central District. On display through December 2024, the exhibit welcomed thousands of community members from across the Puget Sound region, inviting them to engage with stories and themes from all eight iterations of Interrupting Privilege.
The exhibit served as both a reflection and a call to action—highlighting intergenerational conversations around race, identity, and social change. Following its debut, the exhibition traveled to the University of Washington Bothell and will next be featured at the Seattle Foundation from September 2025 through March 2026. This evolving exhibit continues to amplify community voices and spark dialogue in spaces dedicated to justice and collective healing.