My core passion lies at the intersection of the arts and social justice. During my first year of my graduate studies, I was privileged to take a course on critical environmental justice of the Central Valley taught by Jonathan London. The culmination of my work in this class was a book proposal and presentation entitled Environmental Justice & Artistic Expression in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
My research details the history of the valley from pre-settler colonial times through westward expansion, the Great Depression, and the United Farm Workers movement. The book proposal is broken into four parts:
- Part I – Set in Stone: Manifest Destiny & Indigenous Rebellion
- Part II – The Stories We Tell: Settler Colonialism & Indigenous Resilience
- Part III – Pictures Worth a Thousand Words – Great Depression Era Photography of Worker Exploitation & Strength
- Part IV – Art in the Age of Revolution – Chicanx Artistic Expression & Farm Worker Protest in the San Joaquin Valley
Megan Taylor Williams 