At the heart of our work lies praxis—the practice of reflection and action—engaging new ideas and posing questions for which we don't have an answer, being comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing, and challenging ourselves to be active learners and agents of change. Our work also requires the ongoing unveiling of a changing reality for the purpose of deeper understanding of the self and the environment in which we live. We hope to inspire others to do their own work, to begin their own practice, and to build a community of committed people who will work side-by-side for social change.
At the Heart of Our Work
We Commit to...
- Embodying and advancing social justice for the purpose of individual and collective liberation
- Working in a manner that is compassionate and in enduring solidarity
- Engaging in liberatory praxis, a repeating cycle of reflection and courageous action
We Affirm...
- The rights of individuals and communities to self-determination
- The intrinsic interdependent and interconnected nature of individuals and communities
We Believe...
- A collective effort toward a truly just, sustainable, and equitable society is dependent upon personal liberation
- Personal liberation requires radical presence and truth; welcoming our whole self in any given moment, thereby creating the space for others to do the same
- We cannot collectively dismantle racism and oppressive systems in the world, without simultaneously doing the work to dismantle the ways that we have internalized those very systems
- Societal liberation can only occur when we seek collective freedom with and for our communities who are systemically marginalized by structural oppression
- Liberation requires an understanding that that we must do our own internal work and that we are all collectively bound together
Practice Areas
Radical Care & Advocacy
We believe all beings are inherently valuable, resilient, and make communities vibrant. We strive to increase individual and community safety through advocacy, systems navigation, and support. We believe in self-determination and understand that a person’s response to bias, harm, and trauma is unique, and that these experiences cannot be understood in isolation from the systems that give rise to them. We commit to being with one another, supporting one another, and recognizing our individual and collective humanity.
Community-Centered Wisdom
We value the deep cultural wisdom and truth of communities. We believe in lived experience as expertise and in knowledge that centers individuals who are marginalized and their ancestral legacies. We engage in critical inquiry of what is perceived as knowledge, who holds knowledge, how knowledge is validated, what is known, and how we came to know it.
Access & Equity
We work to identify and disrupt systems of oppression that inhibit equitable access for individuals and communities. At the College, this includes administering the campus climate survey, analyzing trends related to the experiences of people from marginalized communities, and responding to incidents of bias and power-based interpersonal violence. In the community, we work with organizations grounded in transformation, social change, and liberatory practices. We also commit to deepening our own knowledge of systems of power and work to provide members of our community with information and resources.
