Grounded in our Commitments: Building Community & Coalitions

Welcome from the Conference Co-Chairs

We are excited to welcome you to the 32nd 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.

May we continue to build together at MCE 2026!

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

Conference Theme

Multicultural education is rooted in civil rights, racial justice, and liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s. It is a call for discourse and curriculum that are intersectional and grounded in anti-racism, anticolonialism, disability justice, queer and women of color feminisms, as well as knowledges that are often marginalized or oppressed in dominant educational spaces. Critical multicultural education is also rooted in pedagogies that are culturally affirming and humanizing, while cultivating solidarity, critical questioning, and healing.

Our 32nd Annual Multicultural Educational Conference theme, “Grounded in our Commitments: Building Community & Coalitions” is an invitation to deepen our commitments to these and other aspects of critical multicultural education. Drawing from the legacies of community organizing that have been foundational to expanding equity and inclusion, critical studies of education, and humanizing pedagogies, our theme is driven by a desire to learn from both historical and present-day examples to deepen community, solidarity, and coalitions for critical multicultural education.

In envisioning this theme, we were inspired by the following questions:

What can we learn from educational movements past and present to build solidarity and coalition across distinctly targeted communities?
What lessons exist in community organizing, cultural work, and spaces of critical study to expand equity, inclusion, and critical multicultural education for educators working in schooling spaces?
What are the ways we can stay grounded in our commitments to critical multicultural education, both individually and collectively?
How can we interrupt the attacks on critical multicultural education and seed spaces that are rooted in healing, culture, and critical inquiry?

Within the current context marked by accelerated attacks aiming to censor truth, critical questioning, and representation across our campuses, we know that we must remain grounded in our commitments to critical multicultural education. This work requires us all, from students, parents, educators, community members, to elders. It is in this spirit that we hope to create a space for connection that also builds our capacities to expand educational equity and freedom dreams across our contexts. We look forward to building community, sharing knowledge, and building our capacities at MCE 2026!

Call for Proposals: Workshops, Presentations, and Posters

Deadline for Submissions: Friday, December 5, 2025, by 11:59pm

We invite proposals for posters and workshops/presentations from educators, classroom teachers, students, school counselors, leaders, researchers, community practitioners, and others to participate in the 32nd Annual MCE Conference. We encourage proposals that demonstrate a clear connection to the conference theme, “Grounded in our Commitments: Building Community & Coalitions”. We also encourage submissions that feature innovative ideas and pedagogical practices addressing intersectional racial and social justice and equity in multicultural education.

Please consider collaborative or individually facilitated workshops, presentations, and posters that:

Highlight examples of critical curriculum and/or pedagogies in TK – 16 classrooms;
Share lessons from parent, student, and community organizing for educational equity;
Build skills and capacities for keeping student and community members safe;
Provide critical frames, concepts, and/or pedagogies that classroom educators can integrate;
Build capacity for trauma-informed, restorative, inclusive, and equitable engagement with students, parents, and families;
Uplift leadership practices and strategies in TK-12, community college, or higher education spaces for sustaining commitments to critical multicultural education;
Share insights that emerge from the co-creation of counter-spaces to engage in critical methodologies, curriculum, and pedagogies;
Demonstrate collaborations across educational and community organizations.

Review the guidelines for proposals for posters and workshops in this document.

Proposal Submission Deadline: Friday, December 5, 2025, at 11:59 PM

Submit your workshop proposal using this link.
Submit your poster proposal using this link.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at mce@csus.edu.

Conference Schedule

Saturday (April 12th)	Event (Student Union Ballroom)
8:00 a.m. –8:30 a.m.	Registration and Opening
8:30 a.m. –9:45 a.m.	Conversation with Panelists
10:00 a.m. –11:00 a.m.	Workshop Sessions #1
11:15 a.m. –12:15 p.m.	Workshop Sessions #2
12:15 p.m. –1:15 p.m.	Lunch and Social Justice Awards
1:30 p.m. –2:30 p.m.	Workshop Sessions #3
2:45 p.m. –3:00 p.m.	Closing Commitments
3:30 p.m. –5:30 p.m.	TBD – Off Campus social hosted by MCE Partners

MCE Community & Alumni Awards

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: Grounded in our Commitments: Building Community & Coalitions.

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:

Lorena Camargo Gonzalez, L.camargogonzalez@csus.edu and Dale Allender, dale.allender@csus.edu.

Deadline to submit is December 19, 2025

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!

Thank you also to our sponsors for their generous support who keep this work going!”.

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

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible conference experience. To share and request your access needs, please email michele.vincent@csus.edu as early as possible. Please note that accommodations may not be available for requests made fewer than 30 days before the event.

California State University, Sacramento

Anchor University College of Education

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