Nurturing Pedagogies of Collective Healing

Conference Theme

Multicultural education is rooted in civil rights, racial justice, and liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s. As critical educators committed to expanding intersectional approaches to anti-racism and social justice, we know that struggles for culturally affirming curriculum and critical pedagogies are an ongoing struggle. This is because dominant educational institutions in the United States have been marked by interlocking systems of oppression, including settler colonialism, white supremacy, anti-Blackness, cis-heteropatriarchy, ableism, nationalism, and racial capitalism (Arvin et al., 2013; Dumas, 2014; Education for Liberation Network & Critical Resistance Editorial Collective, 2021, Ladson-Billings, 2006). Most recently, access to critical multicultural education has been at the center of heightened attacks through a record number of books bans in public libraries (ALA, 2023), policies that aim to dismantle Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) (Jayakumar, 2022, Gretzinger et al., 2024), and continued efforts to silence campus-community protests or strike actions (CFA, 2024; Cho, 2018; DiPierro & Burke, 2024).

The censoring of truth and representation in curricula is an attempt to erase our communities; it undermines and harms our continued activism to advance educational equity. These attacks also underscore the significance of nurturing our freedom dreams (Kelley, 2002), and forging possibilities for collective healing from these harmful systems (Cariaga, 2023). It is at this juncture of naming harm and continuing to imagine beyond the current system that we situate our call for the 2025 MCE, Nurturing Pedagogies of Collective Healing.

The 31st annual MCE conference is an invitation to collectively reflect on the ways in which we can heal from the violences reproduced through dominant educational institutions and to find respite and hope through community-rooted pedagogies (Serrano et al., 2022). We believe it is imperative to gather to learn from the rich wisdom of cultural knowledge, practices, pedagogies of the home (Delgado Bernal, 2001) and pedagogies that exist within our communities. We know that education can be a space a flourishing when we lean on culturally rooted and affirming practices that create belonging, relevance, and restorative educational spaces.

We invite you, current students, staff, faculty, alumni, community educators and organizers to consider how you are cultivating healing-spaces in your own educational contexts so that we may learn from one another. In envisioning this theme, we were inspired by the questions: How do we heal from the violences that are reproduced through dominant modes of schooling? How do we co-create and sustain our freedom dreams? What pedagogies support a praxis of healing and freedom dreaming?

As we return for our first fully in-person MCE gathering since the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we invite members from both our Sacramento State and broader community to join us in co-creating a space of learning, solidarity, and knowledge-sharing. Please consider submitting a poster, presentation, or workshop proposal that connects research, theory, and/or practice at all levels of education (Pre-K through University and the community) and that illuminates the criticality of multicultural education to nurture collective healing, equitable, and liberated, educational futures. If you are a current Sacramento State student, we also invite you to submit a creative piece of work illustrating your interpretation of what it means to Nurture Pedagogies of Collective Healing. Review the guidelines for proposals and student creative works. The call to participate as well as registration will be opened soon; please mark your calendars and stay tuned!

Welcome from the Conference Co-Chairs

We are excited to welcome you to the 31st Annual College of Education Multicultural Education (MCE) Conference. As new Co-Chairs, we are honored to serve and steward the legacy of the MCE conference, which centers transformative and socially just education for all. The Multicultural Education Conference (MCE) has remained an important space for critical thought and gathering for the Sac State community of students, alumni, faculty, and community partners beyond the university. In the last four years, this gathering shifted to an online modality to accommodate our health and safety as we endured the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Our fully place-based 2025 MCE is an invitation to come together to share our knowledges and to build our capacities to nurture healing pedagogies within our distinct contexts. We are eager to share more about our keynote speaker, invited sessions, and program as this becomes available. We will also have opportunities for individuals or teams of educational practitioners and/or researchers who work in schools, colleges, or in the community, to share their work or facilitate a session. Our day will also highlight a student speaker, campus and community social justice awards, food and community building. ASL interpreters will be provided, and we encourage you to share any access needs to support your participation.

Please consider presenting your work or facilitating a workshop at one of our limited breakout sessions or via a poster presentation. We invite you to be guided by the theme, Nurturing Pedagogies of Collective Healing and its resonances with your work. We appreciate your commitment to making this conference a success.

May we continue to build together at MCE 2025!

Drs. Lorena Camargo-Gonzalez, Sheeva Sabati, and Sruthi Swami, Conference Co-Chairs

Call for Conference Poster and Workshop Presentation Proposals

We invite you to participate in the call for proposals for Sacramento State's 31st Annual Multicultural Education Conference! Share your work through poster presentations or interactive workshops that connect with this year’s theme, Nurturing Pedagogies of Collective Healing. Whether you're an educator, student, researcher, or community advocate, your insights can inspire meaningful conversations and foster community-rooted approaches to equity and justice in education. Submit your proposal by December 15, 2024, and be part of this powerful gathering dedicated to creating healing and transformative educational spaces.

Theme: Nurturing Pedagogies of Collective Healing: The conference will explore themes of healing through culturally rooted educational practices, addressing issues of social and racial justice in multicultural education. Educators, researchers, students, and community practitioners are invited to present work that emphasizes activism, ancestral guidance, sustainable practices, and community-based healing in education.

Proposal Types:

Posters: Display innovative ideas and research on social/racial justice and equity in multicultural education. Topics can include pedagogical practices, critical conversations, and healing work within educational or community contexts.
Workshops: 50-minute interactive sessions focused on audience engagement. Preferred formats include discussions on art, non-western pedagogies, and creative practices that align with the theme.

Proposal Guidelines:

Content: Describe how your presentation advances the theme of collective healing in multicultural education (500 words max). Include your name(s), affiliation(s), and email(s).
Program Summary: A 200-word abstract for accepted presentations.
Session Flexibility: Indicate willingness to share a 30-minute session if space is limited.
Workshop Needs: Specify any materials or room setup preferences.

Submission Deadline: December 15, 2024

Submit your proposal here

View full details about the Call for Proposals here.

Conference Schedule

Saturday (April 12th)	Event (Student Union Ballroom)
8:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m.	Details Coming Soon!

Awards Nomination Call

The Multicultural Education Conference (MCE) recognizes the exceptional achievements of two members who advance equity and inclusion. These award recipients have an outstanding track record of fostering inclusive environments and addressing equity throughout their professional endeavors. The award recipients will receive a plaque and a $150 gift card.

Please use the link below to make a nomination(s) for the following awards:

Community Award

This honor is awarded to an individual or an organization in the Sacramento or greater Sacramento region who does the daily hard/heart-work of leaving this world better than they found it. This person is a warrior of love and justice and is unapologetic in their quest to improve the world through their commitment to community work. This person may be engaged in scholar activism but can also be someone outside the academy who aligns with our conference theme: Living Legacies and Freedom Dreaming of Critical Multicultural Education.

Alumni Award

This honor is awarded to a Sacramento State alumnus for their recognized achievements in the areas of equity and inclusion by championing policies and practices to make environments just and accessible. This person consistently and courageously demonstrates leadership, activism, organizing, and self-determination for themselves and their communities.

Any questions can be directed to the Awards and Fundraising committee leads:

Sheeva Sabati s.sabati@csus.edu

The deadline to submit nominations is March 1, 2025.

Submit your nomination

Committee

Committee Grid

The MCE Committee, pictured left to right:
Kenya Burton, Lorena Camargo Gonzalez, Alejandro Carrion, Trina Chang, Eric Claravall, Debbie Dennick, Alma Flores, Ravin Pan, Sheeva Sabati, Sruthi Swami, MJ Vincent

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all that contribute to advancing multicultural education, here at the university and beyond. Without your tireless work, the goals of our anchor university initiatives would not come to fruition. Thank you to our sponsors who keep this work going!

Want to support the Multicultural Education Conference?

In keeping with our social justice principles, the Multicultural Education Conference is a completely free event. If you have the means, please consider providing a donation via the Sacramento State Giving Page. Your donation allows us to cover all programming costs to make this event free and accessible to the entire campus and broader community. To donate go to: “How to Give, Sac State”, look for “Make a Secure Gift Online” select the link for the secure form. Next, select the option to “View all giving opportunities” and search for the “Multicultural Education Conference, College of Education”. Any amount is appreciated!

Disclaimer

All images, presentations and materials are the property of their respective creators, owners or its third party. Sacramento State University hosts the content submitted by conference participants, but does not provide copyright enforcement or protection services.

Accommodations

This virtual conference will be utilizing AI to generate auto-captions during the event.

If you need accommodation services to access this event, please email michele.vincent@csus.edu with your request, no later than 5 days prior to the event. Thanks for your support and we look forward to serving you.

California State University, Sacramento

Anchor University College of Education

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