The Office for Cultural Transformation, with Dr Rose Borunda, is excited to offer the Belonging + Bridging Communities program. As we work as a Hornet community to become an antiracism, anti-oppression, and inclusive campus community; we recognize that providing spaces to gain skills in unpacking complex racial social justice dilemmas in its various forms is critical. The Belonging + Bridging Program is a unique opportunity to grow, learn, and work collaboratively across identity-based community groups to end oppression.

What is Belonging + Bridging?

The Belonging + Bridging Communities program is a six-week discourse experience that allows participants to engage in deep self-exploration of their own identities and opportunities to examine racial and social justice issues across campus communities.

This program empowers University members to drive change by fostering relationships within their cultural groups and connecting across diverse identities. Through cross-cultural alliances, participants confront everyday equity challenges like microaggressions, bias, stereotypes, and prejudices. Belonging + Bridging aims to reshape Sacramento State's narrative, challenging embedded national narratives rooted in theories of supremacies, hierarchical human values, and Eugenics.

6-Week Experience

• Members of the Hornet community who identify as Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA), Black/African American, European American, Indigenous/Native American, Jewish American, Latine, and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) backgrounds are invited to participate in a belonging group.

• Participants who register for Belonging + Bridging, you'll receive a complimentary e-book, '"What's the Color of Your Heart?" valued at $36.

• There are 3 bi-monthly Belonging meetings which last 2-3 hours, and a final Bridging session that unites all belonging groups.
• Upon completion of the 6-week program, participants will receive a certificate signed by Dr. Mia Settles-Tidwell, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, and Dr. Rose Borunda, Inclusive Excellence Consultant.

Goals

• Cultivate safe, brave, inclusive spaces for constructive discussions. We aim to explore how various groups—humanists, white Americans, communities of color, and historically marginalized groups—have collaborated to understand and dismantle racial divisions in our shared history.
• To understand how we leverage our respective positionalities of power and privilege on our campus, at local, national, and global levels.
• To serve as a source of support in shared and across communities for learning, relationship, and coalition building at Sac State.
• Develop and implement the skills that promote social change across all identities with the understanding that to end any oppression we must work to end them all.
• Foster campuswide participation in ongoing bridging gatherings and training that enhance mutual support networks and strengthen capacity to serve as agents of institutional and relational change.

Belonging Cohorts

Belonging Group	Facilitator(s)
African American/Black	Andrea Adams, ASCII, Family & Consumer Sciences (Cohort 1) Derek Bradley, Interim Director for Belonging Education & Support, Inclusive Excellence
Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA)	Harvey Woo, Deputy Chief of PoliceMarietess Masulit, Project Manager Office for Equal Opportunity Michael Nguyen, AVP Inclusive Excellence & Executive Director for Office for Cultural Transformation
European American	Rachael Marshall, Assistant Professor of Counseling EducationAlica Taylor, ASCI, Criminal Justice (Cohort 1)Tyler Carpadus SSP, Bursars Office (Cohort 2)
Indigenous/Native	Geni Cowan, Professor School of Education
Jewish American	Matt Kurtz Operations Analyst, Human Resources (Cohort 1)
Latine	Kipcia Gonzalez Leadership Program Advisor, SO/L (Cohort 1) Mariana Gonzalez Research Technician, College of Continuing Ed (Cohort 2)
Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA)	Raghuraman Trichur Professor, Anthropology

Get involved!

Interested in joining the program?

If you're interested in becoming a facilitator for a cultural belonging group, please reach out to Derek Bradley.

Applications to join our Spring cohort will be open from January 17 to February 2, 2024.