I am a humanist at work. I am a PhD candidate in English at UC Davis, always interested in the work that humanists and the humanities do in and for society. My dissertation Under the Sign of the Rainbow: The Production of Multi-Ethnic Literature in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1960s-1990s, is literary history and an investigation of the the multi-ethnic as idea. And at its core it is also a story about a public humanities movement for racial justice, American cultural diversity, and the crucial role of arts and culture in understanding ourselves, others, our nations, and our planet.