The César E. Chávez Institute

A community-based research center where impassioned science and peaceful social action intersect to produce change

College of Ethnic Studies

San Francisco State

For students For faculty

Mentoring and research opportunities for faculty and students ~ for a

new generation of socially engaged researchers.

Mentorship & Training

César E. Chávez Institute • Belinda Reyes, Director • San Francisco State University

1600 Holloway Ave EP103 • San Francisco CA 94132 • cci@sfsu.edu • http://cci.sfsu.eduDecember, 2014

The César E. Chávez Institute gratefully thanks our funders

�������������Ƥ��������������������������������Ǥ

California Endowment • California HIV/AIDS Research Program • California

Policy Research Center • Center for Financial Service Innovation • Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention • David and Lucile Packard Foundation •

���������������Ȉ� ��������������������������������Ȉ� ��ƥ����������ǡ����������������Ǥ� ��� ������� ��������� � Ȉ� � ������� ������� ���������� ��� ����������� � Ȉ� � �������Browne Foundation • Rockefeller Brothers Fund • San Francisco Foundation

Ȉ� ������������������������� � Ȉ� ������������������� � Ȉ� ������������������

Community-University

Empowerment Grants

CUE mini-grants are competetively

awarded to College of Ethnic

Studies faculty to support their

professional development

and simultaneously fund the

implementation of policy-relevant

or community development

projects - in close collaboration

with community partners.

Latino Policy Summers

Excellent undergraduate students are

sent to Washington D.C. each year,

with all expenses paid, to participate in

the Summer Institute for Latino Policy

- a program of the Inter-University

Program for Latino Reseasrch

(IUPLR) which develops the policy

research skills of young Latinos and

exposes them to the world of politics.

Internship and

Employment

We engage students in research,

training and community

engagement opportunities, as

salaried work experience or for

academic credit.

Faculty Work Groups

The Institute facilitates

multidisciplinary work groups to

collaborate on projects, events, and

grant proposals.

We foster the research and creative work of faculty of color

and support the

missions of the

College of Ethnic

Studies and of San

Francisco State

University.

we are dedicated to examining,

documenting, and providing strategies to

better address the needs of communities

of color – highlighting our histories,

experiences, resiliency and strengths.

Inspired by César E. Chávez’ example of peaceful social justice action,

between academic

research and community

action, developing

partnerships between

students, faculty, and

community

We serve as a bridge

In-depth, meaningful research and community mobilization

depend on the ability to listen, to accurately perceive needs,

to allow the community itself to move our work in new

directions.

Our forums and seminars bring together community

organizations, researchers and policy makers to share best

practices on topics relevant to community stakeholders.

Research/Practice Forums at the Institute

bring together key academic and community representatives

to share new knowledge and best practices on a critical

issue. These carefully structured events allow community-

based organizations, policymakers, researchers, artists,

students and educators to learn from each other’s work

and exchange ideas, allowing participants to improve local

SUDFWLFHV�DQG�LQÁXHQFH�ZLGHU�GLVFRXUVH�DQG�UHVHDUFK�

Effective, informative,

and provocative...

“

”

“It was so powerful to

participate in this event, this

celebration, coming-together, learning

experience...This was a very

invigorating experience. ”

Policy & Action Seminars

enable community members to discuss critical

issues of the day with faculty, policymakers,

students, and researchers, in a less structured format.

CCI presents research evidence on the subject

or brings in experts to

frame the discussion. The

intention is to share best

practices and provide a

forum for open dialogue.

Community Seminars and Forums

“The perfect venue for

networking and having significant

dialogue between

community, academia and

researchers... Thank you! ”

Low-income persons and communities of

color have been severely impacted by the

nation’s profound economic deterioration.

The protracted crisis is strongly affecting

WKH�QRQ�SURÀW�VHFWRU��IRUFLQJ�PDQ\�organizations to close their doors while the

need for their services is greater than ever.

The remaining community organizations

need staff capable of providing a wide

range of services to an increasingly

PXOWLHWKQLF�SRSXODWLRQ��'LIÀLFXOWLHV�LQ�KLULQJ�DQG�UHWDLQLQJ�TXDOLÀHG�SURIHVVLRQDO�staff in Bay Area CBOs requries strategic

SODQQLQJ�IRU�WKH�QRQSURÀW�ZRUNIRUFH��8QIRUWXQDWHO\��PRVW�WUDLQLQJ�SURJUDPV�in existence utilize a white/middle class

PRGHO�WKDW�IDLOV�WR�DGGUHVV�WKH�VSHFLÀF�challenges faced by underrepresented and

Currently in development: $�FXOWXUDOO\�EDVHG�QRQ�SURÀW�OHDGHUVKLS�SURJUDP

See:�FFL�VIVX�HGX�QRQSURÀWOHDGHUVKLS

The César E. Chávez Institute

A multi-ethnic research center committed to

promoting socially engaged scholarship and

community action, with the overall goal of

empowering communities and individuals of color in

their struggles for inclusion and equality. We have a

decade-long record promoting change in the areas

of health, education, and self-determination.

Painting by Amir Khoury

Cesar Chavez

• Work to enhance

capacity and

enable voice in

our communities

• Engage in research

that informs policy

and practice

• Examine the

impact of structural

disadvantage and

institutional bias

on access and

representation

We:

marginalized communities.

We are examining the needs of Bay Area

QRQSURÀWV�DQG�ZD\V�WR�KHOS�IRUP�D�QHZ�generation of professionals equipped

with a critical and social-justice lens.

Many College of Ethnic Studies students

DUH�DWWUDFWHG�WR�QRQSURÀW�FDUHHUV��ZH�are exploring the possibility of creating

a program for undergraduates and

SURIHVVLRQDOV�LQ�WKH�ÀHOG�RI�QRQSURÀW�management. The curriculum would be

grounded in a culturally based capacity-

building model that embraces liberatory

SHGDJRJLHV��FRPPXQLW\�SDUWLFLSDWRU\�OHDUQLQJ��DQG�FUHDWLYH�WKLQNLQJ�RQ�solving social problems.

Our Capacity Building Initiative assists CBOs in building their research and

evaluation capacity, in order to strengthen their programs and advocacy, meet contract

requirements, and gain support from the community, regulatory agencies and funders.

Products and Services can include:

• Research methods designed to meet

WKH�VSHFLÀF�QHHGV�RI�DJHQFLHV• In-depth interviews

• Survey instrument development

• $VVLVWDQFH�GHÀQLQJ�DQG�DUWLFXODWLQJ�community needs, program

objectives and design

• Literature reviews

• Data analysis

• Program evaluations

• Community assessments

• Impact reports

• Culturally appropriate educational

materials

• Training and technical assistance

to implement assessments

Public policymakers and funders are

increasingly turning to community-based

organizations to create new solutions to

the multiple social ills where both the

public and private sectors have failed to

KDYH�VXIÀFLHQW�LPSDFW��&%2V�DUH�DVNHG�WR�help build, educate, protect and empower

communities, and at the same time

operate under an ever-greater demand for

HIÀFLHQF\�DQG�HIÀFDF\��0DQ\�SURJUDPV�designed to bolster the wellbeing of

communities of color need outside help

to better address the complexities of the

social and political issues they face.

Capacity building

We aim to improve educational progress and

ensure that students of color have access to a

high-quality education. We examine the varying

educational attainment levels of students of color

and the barriers to education.

Education

We aim to improve health by increasing access

to high-quality, culturally and linguistically

appropriate care in our communities. We

explore the social determinants of health and the

intersection of social and institutional factors that

perpetuate lax care, medical disadvantages, and

poor health.

Health

We are committed to building the capacity of

individuals, families, and communities, expand

wealth, foster leadership, and promote the

enfranchisement of people of color.

We examine and document barriers to self-

determination and inclusion, explore programs that

promote community empowerment, and support

already present sources of resiliency and strength.

Self-determination

Action-centered Research A few of our projects

Diversifying California’s School Boards: Latino Representation

Latinos comprising over half of public school students in

California, but the political leadership in schools remains

mostly white. This study examined barriers to Latino

representation and board members’ perceptions of the

problems and policy issues in their districts. We found

VLJQLÀFDQW�XQGHU�UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ�RI�/DWLQRV�LQ�&DOLIRUQLD�school boards and differences in policy priorities and

choices between white and non-white board members.

Three recommendations are proposed to increase

representation: non-citizens voting in local school board

elections, district-based elections instead of district-wide

or at-large election, and to review accessibility issues in

the candidacy process.

The Latina/o Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP)

is an advocacy and research initiative to promote the

advancement of Latina/o students in higher education in the

San Francisco Bay Area. Latinos/as are now California’s

largest racial/ethnic group, but have the lowest educational

attainment level of any group. LEAP’s goal is to assist

local post-secondary institutions to become more “equity

minded” – providing tools for evaluating institutional

barriers to Latino success, and assessing Latino students’

needs. LEAP seeks to engage Bay Area institutions in

a dialogue about how to best serve this population. The

Institute is conducting research on barriers to college

enrollment, persistence and completion, as well as on the

many promising practices for improving services. This

research and dialogue together will generate solid, campus-

VSHFLÀF�UHFRPPHQGDWLRQV�WR�FUHDWH�WKH�LQVWLWXWLRQDO�FKDQJH�needed to better serve Latino students.

Latino Educational Achievement Partnership

Social Lending: A credit-building tool for underbanked communities

In this project we evaluated a culturally relevant and

VRFLDOO\�UHVSRQVLEOH�SURJUDP�WR�LPSURYH�WKH�ÀQDQFLDO�situation of low- and moderate-income persons. Through

a cooperative approach, Mission Asset Fund’s Lending

Circles participants build assets, improve credit scores,

ORZHU�GHEW�EXUGHQV��DQG�GHYHORS�ÀQDQFLDO�H[SHUWLVH��:H�IRXQG�VLJQLÀFDQW�LPSURYHPHQW�LQ�FUHGLW�VFRUHV�DQG�reductions in debt for people in Lending Circles. We also

examine the replicability of the model to other ethnically

GLYHUVH�SRSXODWLRQV��DQG�IRXQG�VLJQLÀFDQW�LPSURYHPHQWV�across populations and sites.

The César E. Chávez

Institute is committed

to the highest quality

research, with the goal

of developing effective

and culturally appropriate

strategies and policies.

Our community partners

are not merely the

objects of research and

intervention, but rather

active participants in

the investigative process

and in the meaningful

interpretation and

HSGYQIRXEXMSR�SJ�½RHMRKW��

We employ a wide

range of quantitative and

qualitative methods, such

as surveys, secondary

data analysis, policy

analysis, ethnography,

indepth interviews, oral

histories, focus groups,

social documentation and

literary criticism.

We seek only meaningful

projects that have the

potential to create change

in our communities.

We are a member center of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a national

network of Latino researchers and scholars.

We aim to improve educational progress and

ensure that students of color have access to a

high-quality education. We examine the varying

educational attainment levels of students of color

and the barriers to education.

Education

We aim to improve health by increasing access

to high-quality, culturally and linguistically

appropriate care in our communities. We

explore the social determinants of health and the

intersection of social and institutional factors that

perpetuate lax care, medical disadvantages, and

poor health.

Health

We are committed to building the capacity of

individuals, families, and communities, expand

wealth, foster leadership, and promote the

enfranchisement of people of color.

We examine and document barriers to self-

determination and inclusion, explore programs that

promote community empowerment, and support

already present sources of resiliency and strength.

Self-determination

Action-centered Research A few of our projects

Diversifying California’s School Boards: Latino Representation

Latinos comprising over half of public school students in

California, but the political leadership in schools remains

mostly white. This study examined barriers to Latino

representation and board members’ perceptions of the

problems and policy issues in their districts. We found

VLJQLÀFDQW�XQGHU�UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ�RI�/DWLQRV�LQ�&DOLIRUQLD�school boards and differences in policy priorities and

choices between white and non-white board members.

Three recommendations are proposed to increase

representation: non-citizens voting in local school board

elections, district-based elections instead of district-wide

or at-large election, and to review accessibility issues in

the candidacy process.

The Latina/o Educational Achievement Partnership (LEAP)

is an advocacy and research initiative to promote the

advancement of Latina/o students in higher education in the

San Francisco Bay Area. Latinos/as are now California’s

largest racial/ethnic group, but have the lowest educational

attainment level of any group. LEAP’s goal is to assist

local post-secondary institutions to become more “equity

minded” – providing tools for evaluating institutional

barriers to Latino success, and assessing Latino students’

needs. LEAP seeks to engage Bay Area institutions in

a dialogue about how to best serve this population. The

Institute is conducting research on barriers to college

enrollment, persistence and completion, as well as on the

many promising practices for improving services. This

research and dialogue together will generate solid, campus-

VSHFLÀF�UHFRPPHQGDWLRQV�WR�FUHDWH�WKH�LQVWLWXWLRQDO�FKDQJH�needed to better serve Latino students.

Latino Educational Achievement Partnership

Social Lending: A credit-building tool for underbanked communities

In this project we evaluated a culturally relevant and

VRFLDOO\�UHVSRQVLEOH�SURJUDP�WR�LPSURYH�WKH�ÀQDQFLDO�situation of low- and moderate-income persons. Through

a cooperative approach, Mission Asset Fund’s Lending

Circles participants build assets, improve credit scores,

ORZHU�GHEW�EXUGHQV��DQG�GHYHORS�ÀQDQFLDO�H[SHUWLVH��:H�IRXQG�VLJQLÀFDQW�LPSURYHPHQW�LQ�FUHGLW�VFRUHV�DQG�reductions in debt for people in Lending Circles. We also

examine the replicability of the model to other ethnically

GLYHUVH�SRSXODWLRQV��DQG�IRXQG�VLJQLÀFDQW�LPSURYHPHQWV�across populations and sites.

The César E. Chávez

Institute is committed

to the highest quality

research, with the goal

of developing effective

and culturally appropriate

strategies and policies.

Our community partners

are not merely the

objects of research and

intervention, but rather

active participants in

the investigative process

and in the meaningful

interpretation and

HSGYQIRXEXMSR�SJ�½RHMRKW��

We employ a wide

range of quantitative and

qualitative methods, such

as surveys, secondary

data analysis, policy

analysis, ethnography,

indepth interviews, oral

histories, focus groups,

social documentation and

literary criticism.

We seek only meaningful

projects that have the

potential to create change

in our communities.

We are a member center of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a national

network of Latino researchers and scholars.

Low-income persons and communities of

color have been severely impacted by the

nation’s profound economic deterioration.

The protracted crisis is strongly affecting

WKH�QRQ�SURÀW�VHFWRU��IRUFLQJ�PDQ\�organizations to close their doors while the

need for their services is greater than ever.

The remaining community organizations

need staff capable of providing a wide

range of services to an increasingly

PXOWLHWKQLF�SRSXODWLRQ��'LIÀLFXOWLHV�LQ�KLULQJ�DQG�UHWDLQLQJ�TXDOLÀHG�SURIHVVLRQDO�staff in Bay Area CBOs requries strategic

SODQQLQJ�IRU�WKH�QRQSURÀW�ZRUNIRUFH��8QIRUWXQDWHO\��PRVW�WUDLQLQJ�SURJUDPV�in existence utilize a white/middle class

PRGHO�WKDW�IDLOV�WR�DGGUHVV�WKH�VSHFLÀF�challenges faced by underrepresented and

Currently in development: $�FXOWXUDOO\�EDVHG�QRQ�SURÀW�OHDGHUVKLS�SURJUDP

See:�FFL�VIVX�HGX�QRQSURÀWOHDGHUVKLS

The César E. Chávez Institute

A multi-ethnic research center committed to

promoting socially engaged scholarship and

community action, with the overall goal of

empowering communities and individuals of color in

their struggles for inclusion and equality. We have a

decade-long record promoting change in the areas

of health, education, and self-determination.

Painting by Amir Khoury

Cesar Chavez

• Work to enhance

capacity and

enable voice in

our communities

• Engage in research

that informs policy

and practice

• Examine the

impact of structural

disadvantage and

institutional bias

on access and

representation

We:

marginalized communities.

We are examining the needs of Bay Area

QRQSURÀWV�DQG�ZD\V�WR�KHOS�IRUP�D�QHZ�generation of professionals equipped

with a critical and social-justice lens.

Many College of Ethnic Studies students

DUH�DWWUDFWHG�WR�QRQSURÀW�FDUHHUV��ZH�are exploring the possibility of creating

a program for undergraduates and

SURIHVVLRQDOV�LQ�WKH�ÀHOG�RI�QRQSURÀW�management. The curriculum would be

grounded in a culturally based capacity-

building model that embraces liberatory

SHGDJRJLHV��FRPPXQLW\�SDUWLFLSDWRU\�OHDUQLQJ��DQG�FUHDWLYH�WKLQNLQJ�RQ�solving social problems.

Our Capacity Building Initiative assists CBOs in building their research and

evaluation capacity, in order to strengthen their programs and advocacy, meet contract

requirements, and gain support from the community, regulatory agencies and funders.

Products and Services can include:

• Research methods designed to meet

WKH�VSHFLÀF�QHHGV�RI�DJHQFLHV• In-depth interviews

• Survey instrument development

• $VVLVWDQFH�GHÀQLQJ�DQG�DUWLFXODWLQJ�community needs, program

objectives and design

• Literature reviews

• Data analysis

• Program evaluations

• Community assessments

• Impact reports

• Culturally appropriate educational

materials

• Training and technical assistance

to implement assessments

Public policymakers and funders are

increasingly turning to community-based

organizations to create new solutions to

the multiple social ills where both the

public and private sectors have failed to

KDYH�VXIÀFLHQW�LPSDFW��&%2V�DUH�DVNHG�WR�help build, educate, protect and empower

communities, and at the same time

operate under an ever-greater demand for

HIÀFLHQF\�DQG�HIÀFDF\��0DQ\�SURJUDPV�designed to bolster the wellbeing of

communities of color need outside help

to better address the complexities of the

social and political issues they face.

Capacity building

We foster the research and creative work of faculty of color

and support the

missions of the

College of Ethnic

Studies and of San

Francisco State

University.

we are dedicated to examining,

documenting, and providing strategies to

better address the needs of communities

of color – highlighting our histories,

experiences, resiliency and strengths.

Inspired by César E. Chávez’ example of peaceful social justice action,

between academic

research and community

action, developing

partnerships between

students, faculty, and

community

We serve as a bridge

In-depth, meaningful research and community mobilization

depend on the ability to listen, to accurately perceive needs,

to allow the community itself to move our work in new

directions.

Our forums and seminars bring together community

organizations, researchers and policy makers to share best

practices on topics relevant to community stakeholders.

Research/Practice Forums at the Institute

bring together key academic and community representatives

to share new knowledge and best practices on a critical

issue. These carefully structured events allow community-

based organizations, policymakers, researchers, artists,

students and educators to learn from each other’s work

and exchange ideas, allowing participants to improve local

SUDFWLFHV�DQG�LQÁXHQFH�ZLGHU�GLVFRXUVH�DQG�UHVHDUFK�

Effective, informative,

and provocative...

“

”

“It was so powerful to

participate in this event, this

celebration, coming-together, learning

experience...This was a very

invigorating experience. ”

Policy & Action Seminars

enable community members to discuss critical

issues of the day with faculty, policymakers,

students, and researchers, in a less structured format.

CCI presents research evidence on the subject

or brings in experts to

frame the discussion. The

intention is to share best

practices and provide a

forum for open dialogue.

Community Seminars and Forums

“The perfect venue for

networking and having significant

dialogue between

community, academia and

researchers... Thank you! ”

The César E. Chávez Institute

A community-based research center where impassioned science and peaceful social action intersect to produce change

College of Ethnic Studies

San Francisco State

For students For faculty

Mentoring and research opportunities for faculty and students ~ for a

new generation of socially engaged researchers.

Mentorship & Training

César E. Chávez Institute • Belinda Reyes, Director • San Francisco State University

1600 Holloway Ave EP103 • San Francisco CA 94132 • cci@sfsu.edu • http://cci.sfsu.eduDecember, 2014

The César E. Chávez Institute gratefully thanks our funders

�������������Ƥ��������������������������������Ǥ

California Endowment • California HIV/AIDS Research Program • California

Policy Research Center • Center for Financial Service Innovation • Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention • David and Lucile Packard Foundation •

���������������Ȉ� ��������������������������������Ȉ� ��ƥ����������ǡ����������������Ǥ� ��� ������� ��������� � Ȉ� � ������� ������� ���������� ��� ����������� � Ȉ� � �������Browne Foundation • Rockefeller Brothers Fund • San Francisco Foundation

Ȉ� ������������������������� � Ȉ� ������������������� � Ȉ� ������������������

Community-University

Empowerment Grants

CUE mini-grants are competetively

awarded to College of Ethnic

Studies faculty to support their

professional development

and simultaneously fund the

implementation of policy-relevant

or community development

projects - in close collaboration

with community partners.

Latino Policy Summers

Excellent undergraduate students are

sent to Washington D.C. each year,

with all expenses paid, to participate in

the Summer Institute for Latino Policy

- a program of the Inter-University

Program for Latino Reseasrch

(IUPLR) which develops the policy

research skills of young Latinos and

exposes them to the world of politics.

Internship and

Employment

We engage students in research,

training and community

engagement opportunities, as

salaried work experience or for

academic credit.

Faculty Work Groups

The Institute facilitates

multidisciplinary work groups to

collaborate on projects, events, and

grant proposals.