diff --git a/awx/api/serializers.py b/awx/api/serializers.py
index 1a54312004..8b38895414 100644
--- a/awx/api/serializers.py
+++ b/awx/api/serializers.py
@@ -4955,7 +4955,10 @@ class InstanceGroupSerializer(BaseSerializer):
 class ActivityStreamSerializer(BaseSerializer):
 
     changes = serializers.SerializerMethodField()
-    object_association = serializers.SerializerMethodField()
+    object_association = serializers.SerializerMethodField(
+        help_text=_("When present, shows the field name of the role or relationship that changed."))
+    object_type = serializers.SerializerMethodField(
+        help_text=_("When present, shows the model on which the role or relationship was defined."))
 
     @cached_property
     def _local_summarizable_fk_fields(self):
@@ -4980,8 +4983,8 @@ class ActivityStreamSerializer(BaseSerializer):
 
     class Meta:
         model = ActivityStream
-        fields = ('*', '-name', '-description', '-created', '-modified',
-                  'timestamp', 'operation', 'changes', 'object1', 'object2', 'object_association')
+        fields = ('*', '-name', '-description', '-created', '-modified', 'timestamp', 'operation',
+                  'changes', 'object1', 'object2', 'object_association', 'object_type')
 
     def get_fields(self):
         ret = super(ActivityStreamSerializer, self).get_fields()
@@ -5024,6 +5027,21 @@ class ActivityStreamSerializer(BaseSerializer):
             logger.debug('Failed to parse activity stream relationship type {}'.format(obj.object_relationship_type))
             return ""
 
+    def get_object_type(self, obj):
+        if not obj.object_relationship_type:
+            return ""
+        elif obj.object_relationship_type.endswith('_role'):
+            return camelcase_to_underscore(obj.object_relationship_type.rsplit('.', 2)[-2])
+        # default case: these values look like
+        # "awx.main.models.organization.Organization_notification_templates_success"
+        # so we have to take after the last period but before the first underscore.
+        try:
+            cls = obj.object_relationship_type.rsplit('.', 1)[0]
+            return camelcase_to_underscore(cls.split('_', 1))
+        except Exception:
+            logger.debug('Failed to parse activity stream relationship type {}'.format(obj.object_relationship_type))
+            return ""
+
     def get_related(self, obj):
         rel = {}
         if obj.actor is not None:
diff --git a/awx/ui/client/src/activity-stream/factories/build-description.factory.js b/awx/ui/client/src/activity-stream/factories/build-description.factory.js
index 20fcb4c7b3..ddb05b0662 100644
--- a/awx/ui/client/src/activity-stream/factories/build-description.factory.js
+++ b/awx/ui/client/src/activity-stream/factories/build-description.factory.js
@@ -17,6 +17,16 @@ export default function BuildDescription(BuildAnchor, $log, i18n) {
              switch(activity.object_association){
                  // explicit role dis+associations
                  case 'role':
+                     var object1 = activity.object1;
+                     var object2 = activity.object2;
+
+                     // if object1 winds up being the role's resource, we need to swap the objects
+                     // in order to make the sentence make sense.
+                     if (activity.object_type === object1) {
+                         object1 = activity.object2;
+                         object2 = activity.object1;
+                     }
+
                      // object1 field is resource targeted by the dis+association
                      // object2 field is the resource the role is inherited from
                      // summary_field.role[0] contains ref info about the role
@@ -24,23 +34,23 @@ export default function BuildDescription(BuildAnchor, $log, i18n) {
                          // expected outcome: "disassociated <object2> role_name from <object1>"
                          case 'disassociate':
                              if (isGroupRelationship(activity)){
-                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[1], activity.object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
-                                     ' from ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[0], activity.object1, activity);
+                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[1], object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
+                                     ' from ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[0], object1, activity);
                              }
                              else{
-                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[activity.object2][0], activity.object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
-                                 ' from ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[activity.object1][0], activity.object1, activity);
+                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[object2][0], object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
+                                 ' from ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[object1][0], object1, activity);
                              }
                              break;
                          // expected outcome: "associated <object2> role_name to <object1>"
                          case 'associate':
                              if (isGroupRelationship(activity)){
-                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[1], activity.object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
-                                     ' to ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[0], activity.object1, activity);
+                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[1], object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
+                                     ' to ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields.group[0], object1, activity);
                              }
                              else{
-                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[activity.object2][0], activity.object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
-                                 ' to ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[activity.object1][0], activity.object1, activity);
+                                 activity.description += BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[object2][0], object2, activity) + activity.summary_fields.role[0].role_field +
+                                 ' to ' + BuildAnchor(activity.summary_fields[object1][0], object1, activity);
                              }
                              break;
                      }