The Purpose
Diversity is a reality, but acts of inclusion and advocacy for racial, educational, and social justice are choices we can make to create impactful institutional change through learning and critically analyzing our past and how it shapes who we are today. Thus, this works moves us toward steps of inclusion and equity.
The Vision of Transformation
The vision is to build nonhierarchical, authentic relationships across diverse culture groups to bring about an awareness of how historical and cultural identities shape who we our today so that we better advocate for racial, educational and social justice in a complex diverse world.
Overview
The conceptual framework (Jordan,2014) stems from Gloria Ladson-Billing’s theoretical underpinnings and research of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (1994), which is not just a matter of paying attention to race, gender, or social economic backgrounds, but includes the imperative of our ability to work with the unique strengths of individuals who come into our educational systems and workplaces with diverse ways of learning and being.
Tenets and principles in this conceptual framework are deeply-rooted in a non-western worldview value system which is represented by the West African Sankofa bird, symbolizing going back to the past to take what is positive as steps in moving forward.
Represented in the framework are impactful tenets, principles and culturally sustaining methods that work in tandem to guide us in operationalizing systemic cultural change in environments that might be plagued with racism and inequalities. The underpinnings, including but not limited to social cultural competence (conception of self and others), caring for others, positive cultural identity, equitable pedagogy, and cultural consciousness to interpret social inequities (Ladson-Billings, 1995).
Founder and CEO
Dr. Tina Jordan
Dr. Jordan specializes in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in higher education. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UC Davis, a master’s degree in English from CSUS with a focus on multilingual learners, and a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Friends World College, where she concentrated on cross-cultural studies.
She previously served as Assistant Vice President of Equity and Belonging at Sacramento State, leading initiatives that advanced student success. As Director of the Peer and Academic Resource Center, she provided professional development in Supplemental Instruction, tutoring, and peer advising through a culturally inclusive framework.
Dr. Jordan is also the co-founder of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center at Sacramento State, established in 2015 to provide students with cultural support and a sense of belonging. She helped develop the Guardian Scholars Program for former foster youth and serves on the board of Former Foster Youth Education Funding. She also co-directed the DHSI INSPIRE grant, supporting peer-to-peer networking across campus programs.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Jordan served as a lecturer in the English Department and as a consultant in Student Affairs, helping educators strengthen curriculum and instructional practices that prepare students for college success. Throughout her tenure, she has worked to expand access and degree attainment for all students.