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. The Multicultural Education Conference (MCE) is a co-created space committed to deepening our capacities for developing critical curriculum, pedagogies that nurture healing, as well as policies and practices that expand educational equity. We are honored to be stewards of this gathering for the Sacramento State community of students, alumni, faculty, as well as our many community partners.

As members and co-chairs of the MCE committee for the last few years, we find ourselves refreshed, challenged, and invigorated by the calls for action, resistance, and healing that have taken place at previous MCE conferences. In envisioning what this year’s conference would look like, our aim has been to envision a grounding and supportive space for those dedicated to learning and enacting principles of critical multicultural education. We firmly believe that the onslaught of both mundane and explicit forms of violence against our communities demands what organizer Mariame Kaba describes as “hope as a discipline,” in which we find optimism through practice: organizing, community building, and cultivating access to critical multicultural education. It is in this spirit that we envisioned “Grounded in Our Commitments: Building Community & Coalition”.

We are excited to announce our keynote panelists for the MCE 2026 conference: Dominique Williams, educator, coordinator, community organizer, and policy advocate for Ethnic Studies; Adriana Betti, RISE Program Executive Director and advocate for the well-being and healing of minoritized students and their families; and Margarita Berta-Avila, Sacramento State Teacher Credential Professor and President of the California Faculty Association, committed to labor, advocacy and organization, with longtime expertise as a Professor training pre-service teachers. Building on this momentum, we are also grateful to be partnering with the California Indian History Curriculum Coalition (CIHCC) and the San Juan Racial Justice Equity Institute, who will each facilitate invited workshop sessions. We will also feature sessions and posters submitted through our conference review process.

We will also honor our campus and community social justice awardees. Lunch will be provided, and we encourage you to build community at this gathering and to join alongside your colleagues to bring back the learnings to your work in schools, colleges, or in the community. We encourage you to share any access needs to support your participation.

Registration is now open! We invite members from the Sacramento State and broader communities to join us in co-creating a space of learning, solidarity, and knowledge-sharing. Please help us spread the word to your colleagues and educator networks. To stay in the loop for these calls and other announcements, please follow the College of Education on IG or Facebook: @coesacstate.

If you or your organization are interested in donating to MCE or becoming a sponsor, please use the donation link, or reach out to us at mce@csus.edu.

We appreciate your energy, support, and engagement to make MCE 2026 an affirming and transformative space for us all.

In community,

Dr. Sheeva Sabati and Dr. Sruthi Swami, MCE 2026 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!

Conference Schedule

Below is an overview of the tentative MCE 2026 Conference Schedule (subject to change).

Saturday (March 14th)	Event (CSUS University Union & Ballroom)
8:00 a.m. –8:30 a.m.	Registration and Program Opening (Ballroom)
8:30 a.m. –9:45 a.m.	Keynote Panel (Ballroom)
10:00 a.m. –11:00 a.m.	Workshops, Session #1 (Union, various rooms)
11:15 a.m. –12:15 p.m.	Workshops, Session #2 (Union, various rooms)
12:15 p.m. –1:15 p.m.	Lunch and Social Justice Awards (Ballroom)
1:30 p.m. –2:30 p.m.	Workshops & Posters, Session #3 (Union, various rooms)
2:45 p.m. –3:00 p.m.	Free Raffle and Closing Commitments (Ballroom)

Keynote Panel

Dr. Dale Allendar (MODERATOR)
Associate Professor, Language and Literacy

Dale Allender, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy in the Department of Teaching Credentials at California State University, Sacramento. He teaches courses in Academic Literacy, Ethnic Studies, and Racial Social Justice Education with preservice teachers and serves as a dissertation advisor in the Sacramento State EdD Program. Dr. Allender is an accomplished educator, former teacher and administrator, facilitator, curricular expert, and researcher, who has worked to disrupt anti-Black racism across educational institutions and community spaces for over three decades. His most recent book, From Cultural Deprivation to Cultural Security: Tackling Socio-Cultural Deprivation with Children and Young People, was published by Routledge Press in 2024 and is co-authored alongside his daughter, Arya Allender-West, MA.

Margarita Berta-Avila, Ed.D.
Professor, Teaching Credentials, CSU Sacramento
CFA President

Dr. Margarita Ines Berta-Ávila is a union organizer with the California Faculty Association (CFA) and holds the position of President. In addition, Margarita is a Professor of Education at Sacramento State University. She received her doctorate in International and Multicultural Education in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. She majored in Chicana/o/x Studies from the University of California, Davis and pursued a M.A. in Education and a teaching credential from Claremont Graduate University.

Margarita pursues scholarly work in the areas of participatory action research, critical pedagogy, critical race theory, anti-racism/social justice education, and Chicana/o/x educators in the field. She published an edited work with Dr. Julie Figueroa and Dr. Anita Tijerina-Revilla titled Marching Students: Chicana/o Activism in Education, 1968 to the Present, and an edited volume with Dr. Jennifer Ayala, Dr. Julio Cammarota, Dr. Melissa Rivera, Dr. Louie Rodriguez, and Dr. Maria Torre titled PAR Entremundos: A pedagogy of the Americas. Margarita is active in testifying at the state’s capitol, organizing on campus and in the community with respect to access, equity, and justice in education for Ethnic Studies, bilingual education, BIPOC students, undocumented students/communities, and/or other marginalized communities.

Adriana Betti
R.I.S.E. Executive Director

Adriana Betti is the Executive Director of R.I.S.E. She is an educator and youth advocate with decades of experience in mathematics education and culturally responsive learning. She has served as a mathematics coach for teachers in Berkeley and Oakland public schools through the Lawrence Hall of Science ACCESS program and has taught mathematics at King Middle School, Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA), Portola Middle School, Boston Latin Academy, and other schools on the East Coast. She has also advised numerous Latinx student groups and provided educational consulting services to schools on California Native American reservations.

Adriana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Math, Science, and Technology Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a Fellow of Leaderspring and the Aspen Institute for Philanthropic and Social Change Makers as well as a Native American Alaskan Native LeadStrong Women’s Fellow (NAANW).

Her contributions to youth advancement have been recognized by both the California State Senate and the California State Assembly. Adriana currently serves as the Director of RISE, where she continues to advocate for equitable access to education and post-secondary opportunities for historically underserved students.

Dominique Williams

Dominique Williams is a soccer mom, big sister, teacher-organizer, and graduate student at Sacramento State in the inaugural Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies (Class of 2027). She is working with Dr. Giselle Cunanan on her M.A. thesis. In 2014, she earned her teaching credential in history-social science at Sacramento State and continues to be mentored by CSUS faculty, namely Dra. Margarita Berta-Avila, Dr. Dale Allender, and Dr. Gregory Yee Mark. Along with other faculty and community members, they formed the Sacramento chapter of the Ethnic Studies Now Coalition to bring Ethnic Studies to all students in Sacramento City Unified School District. They also worked for nearly two years to pass California’s Assembly Bill 2016 to establish a model curriculum in Ethnic Studies. Ms. Williams taught English, World History, U.S. History, Ethnic Studies, and Women’s Leadership Academy at Luther Burbank High School and C.K. McClatchy High School. She piloted Ethnic Studies in Sacramento City USD in 2017.

In 2020 she was awarded the Social Justice Educator award at the CSUS Multicultural Education Conference. Since taking a role outside of classroom teaching in 2021, she has worked with hundreds of K-16 educators to implement Ethnic Studies in Northern California. She is currently working as an independent education consultant and seeking a teaching or other values-aligned full-time role. Her writing is featured in the book Rethinking Ethnic Studies (2019) and High School Ethnic Studies: A Teacher Handbook (2025). Her interests include the intersections between Ethnic Studies, land stewardship, youth development, socioemotional learning, grief practices, and critical literacy.

MCE Community & Alumni Awards

2026 Social Justice Alumni Awardee: Korah La Serna Guilar

Korah La Serna Guilar is a certified bilingual school psychologist who provides culturally responsive and neurodivergent-affirming assessments and educational support to culturally, linguistically, and neurodiverse learners. With over 20 years of professional experience, she has worked as a district employee and as an independent contractor for multiple Northern California K–12 schools. She has served multilingual students across public and private school settings, and currently chairs the Northern California Bilingual Roundtable for school psychologists.

Her previous professional experience includes administrative leadership roles such as Director of Special Education & Student Services and Director of Health & Wellness. While the majority of her work involves direct service to children, she is also a published researcher and has taught strength-based and bilingual assessment to school psychology graduate students at CSUS. She has also trained emerging leaders in psychology from across the world as part of the Global Psychology Alliance (GPA) Learning Leadership Institute (LLI). Above all, she is an advocate for learners of all ages.

2026 Social Justice Community Awardee: Kathy C. Wilson

The intersection of education, equity, children, and families have been Kathy’s calling for over three decades. She has a strong passion for teaching and coaching, and has developed expertise in curriculum development, staff development, and mentoring. Kathy understands the importance of building relationships, honoring other’s funds of knowledge and bringing joy to all that she does.

Kathy is active in her neighborhood community and Elk Grove Unified School District as a community member and employee. She works in the Family and Community Engagement Department and helps to facilitate the school district’s Black Family Affinity Group called Families of Black Students United (FBSU) and is a co-advisor of one of the High School’s Black Student Unions (BSU). She is an Adjunct College Professor in Los Rios Community College District. In addition, Kathy works at the California Preschool Instruction Network (CPIN) as an Early Childhood Professional Development Coach Dual Language Lead. In all her roles she works with diverse populations, especially Black girls. All that she does helps her to know and understand that everyone is special and needs to be seen, heard and know that they are loved. She and her husband have three children ages 31, 23 and 20, as well as two grandchildren. She loves family, reading and traveling, is down to earth and loves building relationships and connections.

Committee

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 online, utilize this link or the QR code below. Confirm that the “Multicultural Education Conference” is highlighted in the “selected designations” box. Complete the form to process the donation. 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

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.

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