Umoja Community

Building 9, Room 304, Umoja Village
Phone: (650) 306-3441
Email: canumoja@smccd.edu
Web: canadacollege.edu/umoja 

Cañada College’s Umoja Community program (“umoja” is the Kiswahili word for unity) is part of a statewide community and program committed to validating and enhancing the cultural and educational experiences of African American/Black students, in particular and other students, in general. The program facilitates transfer to all four year universities as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Umoja Community students benefit from a wide range of resources, including academic, career, and personal counseling, statewide Umoja events, cultural events and experiences, mentoring, university visits, and financial assistance (tuition, textbook, food, and transportation). The Umoja Community program promotes student achievement using a curriculum and pedagogical approach responsive to the legacy of the African Diaspora. 

“Mattering” as a key program component: 
Years of institutionalized educational inertia can cause students in general and Black students in particular to feel that they don’t matter to education and education doesn’t matter to them. We encourage our students to reclaim mattering and exercise agency as people who matter. Our curriculum fuses awareness of ongoing oppression, identity, and freedom, increases context, reflects what is urgent in the moment, and sees students themselves as a critical resource for our classes and program.

Umoja Community courses include: 
Fall: ENGL 100 (Reading and Composition) and PLSC 210 (American Politics)
Spring: ENGL 110 (Composition, Literature and Critical Thinking), MATH 200 (Elementary Probability and Statistics), and PLSC 310 (California Politics and Local Government)

To be eligible for the Umoja Community program, students must be currently enrolled or plan to enroll at Cañada College, be interested in learning about Black culture, history, and experience, complete the Umoja Community Application Form, register for Umoja Community program courses, and attend Umoja program events throughout the year.