Umoja Community Education Foundation is a California-based nonprofit founded in 2006 by a group of faculty and administrators at Diablo Valley College who sought formal, statewide recognition of the educational inequities facing African American students. The organization began as an all-volunteer effort and received official recognition from the California Community College Board of Governors in 2008. By 2017, it had secured $2.5 million in ongoing state funding. Today, Umoja's programs operate across more than 70 community colleges throughout California, having served more than 10,000 students since its founding. The name Umoja draws from the Kiswahili word for "unity."
The foundation's work centers on improving retention, transfer rates, and broader educational outcomes for African American and other underrepresented students. Its core offerings include culturally responsive curriculum designed to reflect students' histories and voices, intensive direct student support services, and professional development programs for community college faculty and administrators. Campus programs are implemented at participating colleges statewide, and the recently launched Umoja Global Institute extends the organization's institutional reach.
Beyond individual campuses, Umoja builds a practitioner community through regional symposia and summer learning institutes, which bring together educators and students to share approaches and deepen culturally responsive teaching practice. Roles within the organization span curriculum development, student services, educator training, program coordination, and community engagement across the California community college system.
