Irby Distingushed Service Award

The Charles C. Irby Distinguished Award Service Award is the highest award given by the Association for Ethnic Studies (AES), bestowed to an individual who has achieved distinction in his or her own professional life and community, who has demonstrated commitment to the goals and ideals of AES, and who has shown leadership qualities in the organization and in the field of ethnic studies.

Charles C. Irby was a cultural geographer who was a pioneer in the development of Ethnic and Gender Studies in this country. Irby earned his doctorate in Geography (1978) from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. His master’s degree in Geography (1968) is from the University of California, Davis. Irby served in the U.S. Air Force from 1957 until 1960. Irby was also a founding member of the National Association for Interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies (which later became the Association for Ethnic Studies) and served as president of the association from 1976 to 1978. He dedicated his life to the field of Ethnic Studies as president and editor of AES publications. He worked to ensure social justice and to eliminate racism, sexism, and classism.

For more information about Charles C. Irby and his life, please see the Irby Collection at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

  • 1989 – Gretchen M. Bataille
  • 1990 – David M. Gradwohl (deceased)
  • 1991 – Barbara L. Hiura
  • 1992 – Miguel A. Carranza
  • 1993 – James H. Williams
  • 1994 – Robert L. Perry
  • 1995 – Otis L. Scott
  • 1996 – Cortland P. Auser (deceased)
  • 1997 – Larry J. Estrada
  • 1998 – Jesse M. Vazquez & Harriet J. Ottenheimer
  • 1999 – Alberto L. Pulido
  • 2000 – Jonathan A. Majak & George H. Junne, Jr.
  • 2001 – Faythe Turner
  • 2002 – Ashton W. Welch
  • 2003 – not awarded
  • 2004 – David Goldstein-Shirley
  • 2005 – Linda C. Delgado
  • 2006 – Johnnella E. Butler
  • 2007 – not awarded
  • 2008 – Sandra Holstein
  • 2009 – Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez
  • 2010 – Maythee Rojas
  • 2011 – Connie Jacobs
  • 2012 – Ron Scapp
  • 2013 – Irene Vernon
  • 2014 – Angela Y. Davis
  • 2015 – K.C. Morrison
  • 2016 – Richard Ruiz
  • 2017 – john a. powell
  • 2018 - not awarded
  • 2019 - not awarded
  • 2020 - not awarded
  • 2021 – R. Tolteka Cuauhtin
  • 2022 – Lawson Bush