Starting from Within: Culture, Inclusion, and True Change Making

What is the organizational culture of your nonprofit and what role does it play in efforts towards being an anti-racist organization?  Towards creating a culturally inclusive environment for staff and the communities you serve? In this three part series, organizational teams of 3 are invited to reflect, collaborate, and take action on their individual and organization’s role in building a culturally inclusive and anti-racist workplace. This series will focus on strategies for inclusion with diverse racial and ethnic cultural identities and organizational efforts towards anti-racism and inclusion.

Participating organizational teams will be invited to reflect on the history of the nonprofit sector and its impact on the dominant culture of many of our workplaces. Activities will be facilitated to help teams collaborate on internal goals and actions for creating a more anti-racist and culturally inclusive environment --  both as an organization and as individuals. Teams will be given assignments in between session to support progress toward a tailored plan of action.

Session dates and times are as follows: 9:00AM- 12:00PM on Monday, July 12, Monday, July 19, & Monday, August 2. Organizations who register must attend all three sessions and are required to bring 3 team members representing your organization. Suggested organizational teams may include: Senior Staff/Board Member, Mid-level Management, Entry Level/Volunteer).

PLEASE NOTE: By registering for this series, your team enthusiastically agrees to attend all three webinar sessions and to commit the necessary time to the assignments and the program. To ensure the most impactful experience, we ask that only organizational teams register to this series. If you are an individual member or are currently unaffiliated with an organization and would like to stay up to date or have any questions about this offering, please contact our Program Specialist, Jennelyn Tumalad, at jtumalad@callutheran.edu.

This three-part series is generously underwritten, in part, by the McCune Foundation & First 5 Ventura County.

About the Facilitators:

Veronica X. Valadez is a strong advocate of Ethnic Studies, and is as a lead member of Ventura County’s Ethnic Studies Now Coalition, the Ventura County Coalition for Justice, and XOCHITL LA (Xicana/o Organizers Cultivating Humanity and Indigeneity in Teaching and Learning).

Through these organizations, Veronica plays a key role in developing culturally relevant curriculum for K-16 classrooms, in addition to developing rubrics that will ensure the curricular integrity of Ethnic Studies. Veronica has also helped organize and facilitate professional development training for Ethnic Studies teachers in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties, as well as providing consulting services for several school districts.

Born to Mexican immigrants, Veronica Xochitl Valadez is the first in her family to attend a four-year university where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Chicana/o Studies at UC Santa Barbara. Veronica then earned a multiple-subject teaching credential from Cal State Channel Islands. She applied her artistic talents towards the earning of a Masters Degree in Chicana/o Studies from Cal State University Northridge, where she completed a Creative Thesis in 2012. Her thesis, entitled “Dancing Amoxtli: Danza Azteca and Indigenous Body Art as Forms of Resistance”, is composed of written research as well as the production of over a dozen paintings.

Gabriel A. Orosco is currently President of the El Rancho Unified School Board. He is an advocate and a supporter of El Rancho being the first district to require Ethnic Studies as a graduation requirement, and is on the Ethnic Studies Leadership team for Los Angeles Unified School District.He is a Special Education teacher in the city of Los Angeles and has over twenty-three years of experience in the field of education as an instructor, administrator, advisor, and policy maker. He is passionate about cultural diversity, respect for all people, culturally responsive curriculum, and Ethnic Studies.

Gabriel extended his formal education by attending Rio Hondo College and subsequently transferred to the University of Southern California. At USC, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Finance and minored in Economics.At USC, he began his grassroots organizing with the student organization, La Raza Political Action Committee.As an instrument of change, they created a monument on campus honoring the late civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. Gabriel earned his Master’s Degree in Education and is a traditional Aztec dancer and drummer. Since 1997, Gabriel began teaching Xicano studies with Indigenous Pedagogy at the elementary level.He continued his progressive teaching at the middle school level during the “walkouts” of 2006.His continuous support of students earned him “Teacher of the Year” honors for a community organization in Los Angeles.He was instrumental in leading a group of students, parents, and teachers in electing a new progressive candidate for a school board in El Monte.