Amalia Medina Castañeda, university archivist at the CSUDH Gerth Archives and Special Collections, has been selected as one of 15 Rare Book School-Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellows for 2022-2024. The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage is a six-year program that aims to advance multicultural collections through innovative and inclusive curatorial practice and leadership.

Castañeda is passionate about the recruitment and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in special collections librarianship, and was drawn to the fellowship’s inclusive mission.

“Unfortunately, the cultural heritage, museum, and archives field is not racially and culturally diverse—fewer than 10 percent of curators, archivists, or special collections librarians are BIPOC,” Castañeda said. “This fellowship will afford me access to an intellectual community of BIPOC archival scholars whose interests lie at the intersection of librarianship, community, and archives.”

In addition to her role at CSUDH, Castañeda also serves as board chair at the Museum of Social Justice, an institution that chronicles the history of Los Angeles’s marginalized communities through exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives. ­­She says that ultimately, her archival and public history work is rooted in people and ensuring communities of color see themselves in the cultural record.

“Serving a grassroots museum like the Museum of Social Justice and at one of the California State University campuses with the highest percentage of Black and Latinx students has shaped my understanding of how archivists and cultural heritage practitioners can reach the people they intend to serve,” Castañeda said.

“As a Cultural Heritage fellow, I look forward to working with colleagues to lead both large and small-scale events that are authentically community-centered.”

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$5.3 Million

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
CSUDH WORKFORCE INTEGRATION NETWORK (WIN)

CSUDH’s WIN won a two-year, $5.3 million grant from the NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. The funds will support efforts to close the digital divide by supplying laptops, MiFi devices, and career-focused training materials to ten local partner organizations for distribution to the community.

$3 Million

State of California
CSUDH

CSUDH was one of five CSU campuses to be awarded part of a four-year, $18 million grant from California’s LA Region K-16 Collaborative. The university will receive a total of approximately $3 million, earmarked for programs and initiatives to encourage underrepresented students to seek out careers in fields which have traditionally been beset by systemic inequality and racism.

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California State University (CSU) held its first Juneteenth Symposium in June 2022, celebrating Black history and achievement while demanding justice and equity within higher education and beyond. The CSUDH hosted the event, titled “By Any Means Necessary: Synthesizing the Voices of Our Ancestors and Everyday People.” 

CSU Board of Trustees Emerita Maryana Khames led the push to create the symposium after listening to students demand action in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Students called on the CSU to take the lead in combating anti-Black racism and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the CSU’s 23 campuses and throughout higher education.

In acknowledging Khames, former Board of Trustees Chair Lillian Kimbell committed the CSU system to that purpose. “This year’s symposium is indeed a trailhead, one that will guide us toward tangible and lasting change,” she said. “It’s essential that beyond the two-day celebration, we commit to finding short-term and long-term solutions.”  

Several themes recurred throughout the symposium, including the celebration of Black excellence and the personal courage required to break through institutional barriers and pursue higher education. Speakers emphasized the necessity of having Black people represented at every level of education, industry, and government, and the importance of Black youth being able to see themselves reflected in role models around them—particularly in educational settings. 

Many also expressed profound gratitude for previous generations of Black freedom fighters, artists, and thought leaders who paved the way for people of today, as well as the necessity for the work to continue.  “We have to understand that this is a generational struggle,” said CSUDH student Makonnen Tendaji. “We don’t organize and become educated so that we benefit ourselves. We build our schools and teach our children so that they can benefit from that knowledge.” 

In keeping with CSUDH’s commitment to social justice, equity, and educational access, Bobbie Porter has been named the university’s first vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. 

“Education changed my life,” she said. “If you look at the statistics, there’s no way I should be where I am today. But I’m here. My mission is to help anyone that’s choosing education as that bridge, as that gateway to a better life. I want to help create the conditions so students can do that—so they don’t just survive college, but they thrive in it. And then they go out and change the world!” 

Porter sees the newly created position as essential to the university’s mission. “The idea of a chief diversity officer is relatively new,” she said. “A lot of institutions are grappling with how to close equity gaps for students of color. But it’s hard to try to do this work in a substantive and transformative way if your diversity practitioners aren’t in the room where decisions are being made, where they can hear the issues as they come up. Only then can they help shine a light, and call attention to the fact that these are actually equity issues. 

“I love the idea that this position now lives here, because it only can help further advance this work. That’s a huge part of the core mission of CSUDH!” 

Porter’s initial goal at Dominguez Hills is to listen and learn. “Every campus has its own personality, its own history, its own traditions, its own general assumptions. I know I can’t come in and say, ‘This is what I did at my last job.’ I have to learn from the people who have been here—students, faculty, staff, everyone. What drives you? I want to know everyone else’s mission and how we connect with that. How do we join together to create the shared vision for how this work will be realized in the coming years?” 

Although she’s only been on campus for a short time, Porter already feels that she’s made the right choice in bringing her talents and enthusiasm to CSUDH. “I really felt an intuitive sort of draw to the institution. I’m drawn to the history and the origins of this campus,” she says. “I see myself in these students. I mean, I just survived undergrad. I don’t want that to be anyone else’s story. It’s easy to maintain my light and my passion when I feel so personally connected to the student story here.” 

Porter is a double graduate of the University of Memphis, with both a BA in Communications and a Doctorate of Education in Leadership. She also holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Tennessee State University. 

Porter arrived at CSUDH in July 2022 after four years as chief diversity officer and assistant vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). Prior to CSUF, Porter served as the chief equity officer for the Tennessee Board of Regents, the state’s 46-institution university, community college, and technical college system. Porter also held leadership roles within the Institutional Equity Office at Tennessee State University and coordinated education and outreach efforts for the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. 

Porter has already drawn inspiration from CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham and the school’s new strategic plan. “I’m very inspired by the concept of Going Far Together and the opportunities there. I’m really excited about that. If I, as a newcomer to campus, can rely on this plan as the blueprint and the heartbeat of CSUDH, then I know I’m in the right place. 

“Those five pillars (thriving students, thriving educators, culture of care, equitable access, and pillar of the community) align with a lot of my personal values. I see myself contributing to that very well. I already feel like I’m at home. I’m happy that I’m here and I’m ready to get to work!”

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In January 2022, CSUDH was named one of 45 California colleges and universities chosen to take part in Californians for All College Corps, the largest state-level investment in a college service program in California history. CSUDH was one of 16 CSU campuses that were included in the historic $146 million investment in the state’s future leaders.  

CSUDH received a 19-month grant supporting the planning and implementation for the first year of the College Corps on campus. The new program will provide up to 6,500 college students statewide with opportunities to serve in three key areas: K-12 education, climate action, or food insecurity. In exchange for 450 hours of service during an academic year, each College Corps Fellow will receive $10,000 to help fund their education. 

Led by the California Volunteers Office of the Governor, the Californians for All College Corps initiative aims to engage college students in meaningful service to build leadership and civic responsibility; to help students from diverse backgrounds graduate with less debt; and to support the work of community-based organizations. 

“At our campus, we pride ourselves on not just being in the community but of the community. I am thrilled that our students will have the opportunity to give back to their communities while supporting their own educational goals and aspirations,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. 

“This groundbreaking program perfectly aligns with our university mission: to provide the broadest possible access to higher education while working toward social justice and equity for all.”

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