ICW is proud to present Dr. 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.

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Stevie Ruiz is Professor of Chicana/o Studies at California State University, Northridge. His research and teaching focuses on environmental justice studies and critical science studies. He has been awarded prestigious fellowships including the NEH Long Term Fellowship at the Huntington Library and the Institute for American Cultures (IAC) Visiting Scholar Award at UCLA. His recent book, Stewards of the Land: Race and Reclaiming Environmental Labor in the American West was published in April 2026 by the University of North Carolina Press.

Jessica Kim received her PhD in history at USC in 2012, was a postdoctoral fellow with ICW in 2013, and is currently Associate Professor of History at CSUN, where she teaches courses on Los Angeles, California, the borderlands, and public history. Her book, Imperial Metropolis: Los Angeles, Mexico, and the Borderlands of American Empire, 1865-1941 (UNC Press, 2019), explores the rise of Los Angeles and investment in Mexico. The book is the co-winner of the 2020 Kenneth Jackson Award for best book from the Urban History Association. She loves combining her interests in public history and the American West on ICW’s social media platforms.