January 2022

Each year, the AERA president designates an organization on the annual meeting registration form to which conference attendees can make a charitable contribution. This year, AERA President Na’ilah Suad Nasir has selected Kumeyaay Community College (KCC), a public community college located on the Sycuan Indian Reservation in San Diego County.

KCC was recommended by the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas SIG, which has partnered with KCC for hosting. KCC is a consortium organization that represents 10 (out of 12) bands of the Kumeyaay Nation, including the Sycuan. As such, annual meeting attendees would not only be supporting an education organization but also a Native Nation, one of four Native Nations that represent 10 of 18 reservations in San Diego County.

The mission of KCC is to promote a quality education focusing on Kumeyaay Studies for the community interested in a unique and supportive educational experience. The college lives its mission by promoting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination; preserving Indigenous values of family, respect, healing, and spiritual awareness; developing a supportive learning environment for the community; promoting cultural education by embracing cognitive development and traditional teaching methods; and designing and developing of curriculum that prepares students professionally and socially to succeed in a diverse global society.

Attendees who wish to make a donation can do so during the online registration process, or by returning to the registration portal even after they have registered.

“President Nasir has once again followed the precedent of making a great choice for 2022,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “As the place-based component of the 2022 Annual Meeting convenes in San Diego, we are honored to recognize a public community college that is wide in its reach across four Native Nations. We urge all 2022 Annual Meeting attendees to consider making a contribution, large or small, to KCC.”