Our Commitment
Justice and Anti-Oppression
HECUA is committed to centering racial and economic equity in education, community partnerships, and organizational practices. Discover how our experiential pedagogy, community engagement, and ongoing institutional work support more just and equitable futures.
Explore Our CommitmentOur Commitment to Justice
A Commitment Rooted in Community
At its founding, HECUA brought together social justice activists from the predominantly Black, Latinx, and Indigenous community of North Minneapolis with undergraduate students and faculty from historically and predominantly white institutions to unite in solidarity and pedagogy around the realities of urban poverty.
During HECUA’s five decades of operation as a nonprofit organization, we have strived to center racial and economic equity in all our practices, while navigating the challenges of systems designed to uphold the status quo of white supremacy.
You’ll find a brief summary of our efforts below.
Pedagogy
Learning Through Multiple Ways of Knowing
HECUA’s pedagogy is rooted in interdisciplinary, integrated, experiential, and holistic learning. This requires self-reflection, diverse experiences, and praxis (theory plus action).
Our programs value non-dominant and non-Western approaches to learning. Students experience a variety of ways of knowing, including Indigenous, feminist, and oral traditions alongside rigorous academic theory.
In the tradition of Paulo Freire and other critical pedagogues, we understand our students, teachers, and community members to be co-learners and co-creators.
Interdisciplinary Learning
Experiential Education
Self-Reflection
Theory and Action
Indigenous and Feminist Perspectives
Collaborative Learning
Praxis
From Learning to Action
HECUA is part of a long tradition of social justice, and we connect our students to current movements through internship placements with organizational partners and field experiences with justice advocates.
We ask our students to be active changemakers in communities, engaged in working against oppression and building liberatory futures in reciprocity with community partners.
Organizational Practices
Equity Within Our Organization
HECUA’s commitment to Justice & Anti-Oppression continues to evolve.
Our former Anti-Racism Committee has been renamed the ‘Truth, Reparations, Conciliation, and Intersectionality Committee’ (TRCI, affectionately called ‘tricky’).
HECUA embarked on an internal framework assessment, supported by its strategic plan, to center equity in all of its programs, partnerships, and enrollment processes, in addition to internal policies for human resources, finance, and operations.
Truth, Reparations, Conciliation, and Intersectionality Committee (TRCI)
Program Design
Community Partnerships
Enrollment Processes
Human Resources
Finance and Operations
Student Impact
Learning That Inspires Change
“When I returned to the University of San Francisco after being abroad in New Zealand, I had a clearer path of how I wanted to pursue the rest of my studies. I began taking more special topic classes that focused on environmental justice, advocacy, and diversity. I also joined the executive board of the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Students for the Environment, an on-campus club whose mission is to integrate diverse voices into our environmental department. HECUA’s Culture and Environment program gave me the tools to advocate for BIPOC presence in nature and nature accessibility.”
Our Impact in Numbers
A Growing Community of Changemakers
The figures below are supplied historical impact information and should not be interpreted as current reporting.
Students engaged in HECUA’s radical pedagogy over the last 20 years.
Of HECUA students were BIPOC between Fall 2017 and Summer 2019.
Historical data: Fall 2017–Summer 2019Of HECUA students identified as trans, nonbinary, or genderqueer between Fall 2017 and Summer 2019.
Historical data: Fall 2017–Summer 2019Community organizations partnered with HECUA students in social justice movements across the globe.
Access and Student Support
Supporting Students and Expanding Access
HECUA offers additional support to undocumented and/or BIPOC students through targeted scholarships as well as payment plans and discounts for high need students.
Contact ap@hecua.org if you would like more information.
HECUA’s scholarship and financial-support options are intended to help eligible students access experiential learning opportunities.
Explore Scholarship OpportunitiesCommunity Partnerships
Learning in Partnership With Communities
HECUA students have partnered with over 750 community organizations involved in social justice movements across the globe.
We prioritize partnerships and internship placements at organizations centering BIPOC communities.
All HECUA programs bring community experts into the classroom and bring students to community sites as part of the curriculum. HECUA compensates these guest speakers and hosts for their time and expertise.
As with our community partnerships, we prioritize the participation of experts from BIPOC communities.
- More than 750 community organizations represented in the supplied historical impact information.
- Internship placements with organizations centering BIPOC communities.
- Community experts participating in classroom learning.
- Student learning through visits to community sites.
- Compensation for guest speakers and hosts.
- Respect for community expertise and reciprocal relationships.
Our Consortium Community
Institutions Working Toward Greater Equity
Our consortium members, including Augsburg, Knox College, University of San Francisco, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and UMN Morris, are among the leaders in colleges and universities serving underrepresented students.
- 01Augsburg
- 02Knox College
- 03University of San Francisco
- 04University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- 05UMN Morris
Truth, Race, and Reconciliation
Continuing the Conversation
For more insight into our academic partnerships and commitment, see HECUA’s 2018 public statement of Truth, Race, and Reconciliation.
Read HECUA’s 2018 Public Statement on Truth, Race, and ReconciliationStudent Stories
Hear More Student Experiences
For stories of student experiences, including those of underrepresented students, first-generation college students, genderqueer students, and BIPOC students, read more on the HECUA blog.
Read Student Stories on the HECUA BlogTake the Next Step
Learning for a More Just Future
Discover how HECUA connects academic learning, community partnerships, and experiential education to support students working toward a more equitable world.