Teachers from Oxnard, Ventura, and Moorpark Community College join together to learn practical steps in Teaching Women and Men of Color Advocates, also known as TWMOCA, to bring back to their campuses and develop a TWMOCA chapter.

The mission of TWMOCAs is to promote a teaching and learning environment that celebrates cultural diversity and effects social justice, empowering students to engage and learn in meaningful and positively transformative ways. TWMOCAs will advocate for our students of color and do what is necessary to institutionalize anti-racist practices at Moorpark College.

Film video instructor from Oxnard College, Anitra Lawson, wanted to remind her peers to drop all assumptions that are currently present and stated, “I can not assume I know all things about my students of color because I am a women of color.”

TWMOCAs identify the areas that need to be addressed in all spaces by asking the right questions and supporting initiatives with engaging the appropriate audience. A moto they stand by is to ‘Crawl, Walk, Run!’

The TWMOCA Chair Perry Martin Jr. from Moorpark College demonstrated in a PowerPoint that some institutions are limited with how the staff and faculty value diverse population.

The first TMOCA event occurred in 2018 during Flex Week to recruit faculty and staff. A year later in 2019 they hosted the first professional development session with student panels. In 2020 they added the “W” to TMOCA which is now known as TWMOCA.

Martin Jr. relayed, “If anything is going to change with the faculty, it must be a campus effort.” There is a lot that has to happen in order to make a change, but with this group it will be easier.

All faculty and staff at Moorpark College are welcome to join this group.

An instructor from Moorpark College, Jenna Patronete explained, “We strongly encourage members to join our canvas page and take the TWMOCAs pledge. Members should only join if they read, reflect and agree with the pledge.”

Members of TWMOCAs meet bi-weekly and general meetings are held three times a semester. All faculty and staff at Moorpark College are welcome to attend general assembly meetings. The next meeting will be held in March 2021.

To find out more information about TWMOCA, visit their website, as well as join their canvas page.