Culture & Equity Project – UCLA Center X

making the invisible visible

ABOUT US

The Culture and Equity Project at UCLA Center X works in collaboration with educators and leaders of all organizations to critique dominant beliefs and norms so their spaces are transformed into places where the culture of those who are typically underserved are sustained and centered. We work to transform institutional policies and practices by confronting individual racism and biases and co-constructing new and transforming actions around equity.

Working in the ground breaking tradition of UCLA’s Center X, the Culture & Equity Project is a powerful resource for educators. As our society becomes more diverse, educators must have the ability to work effectively across differences related to race, class, language and culture, to meet the needs of all students.”

Pedro Noguera

Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education

ESSENTIAL BELIEFS

Culture is an asset, not a deficit.
We challenge dominant beliefs and norms about teaching and learning so that schools become places where students’ cultures, languages, and histories are sustained, centered, and used as pathways to greater academic opportunity.
Systemic change begins with self-examination.
Transforming institutional policies and practices requires each of us to first confront our own racism and biases, including how anti-Blackness shows up in our schools and in ourselves.
Equity work must lead to action.
Reflection and dialogue matter, but they are not enough. Our work ends in new practices and policies that we co-construct with the people closest to the work.
Partnership is reciprocal.
We learn from the educators, leaders, students, and families we work alongside. Their expertise and community knowledge shape our work as much as research does.
Our students deserve more.
We hold ourselves and our partners accountable for creating schools where students and families see and feel the difference.