National Association for Multicultural Education Logo

Advancing and Advocating for Social Justice & Equity

The Founders of NAME envisioned an organization that would bring together individuals and groups with an interest in multicultural education from all levels of education, different academic disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and occupations.

At the 1990 meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators' (ATE) Multicultural Education Special Interest Group, Rose Duhon-Sells challenged members to create such an organization. The new association, NAME, was launched through a national conference held in conjunction with the 1991 ATE meeting in New Orleans.

NAME today is an active, growing organization, with over 1,500 members from throughout the United States and several other countries. NAME is a registered 501-c.3 non-profit organization. NAME's Federal Tax ID # is 72-119-3754. Educators from preschool through higher education and representatives from business and communities comprise NAME's membership. Members in many local communities and states have formed NAME local chapters that serve the same networking, support and outreach functions on the local level, similar to the national network. We are proud to say that more chapters are in the process of forming.

The achievement of NAME's goals and objectives is supported by funds from membership, conference registration fees, and the volunteer work of members. As the organization's membership increased, NAME incorporated as a nonprofit organization, developed a publication on multicultural education, and established a national office. NAME continues to host national and international conferences and to provide leadership in national and state dialogues on equity, diversity and multicultural education.

NAME's membership encompasses the spectrum of professional educators and specialists, including early childhood, classroom and higher education faculty, administrators, psychologists, social workers, counselors, curriculum specialists, librarians, scholars, and researchers. Persons affiliated with teacher education, ethnic studies, ESL and bilingual education, social science, anthropology, liberal and fine arts programs, and other departments, colleges, and schools with an emphasis on multiculturalism are also encouraged to become members.

NAME is a registered 501-c.3 non-profit organization.
NAME's Federal Tax ID # is 72-119-3754.


NAME's Mission :


NAME is a collective voice that advances and advocates for social justice and educational equity through multicultural education. NAME is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization supported by the volunteer efforts of its members.


Objectives:

  • To provide opportunities for learning in order to advance multicultural education, equity and social justice.
  • To proactively reframe public debate and impact current and emerging policies in ways that advance social, political, economic and educational equity through advocacy, position papers, policy statements and other strategies.
  • To provide the preeminent digital clearinghouse of resources about educational equity and social justice.

NAME's Anti-Discrimination Statement

The National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and services. NAME is consciously and proactively inclusive of all areas of diversity including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sovereign tribal Nations status,  ancestry, gender identity and expression, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, social class, socioeconomic status, marital status, language, disability, or immigration status.

Why We Use the Red Triangle & a Bird in the NAME Logo

During the Nazi Holocaust, people forced into ghettos and concentration camps were required to wear badges to indicate the reason, or reasons, for their persecution. Most people are aware that Jews were forced to wear yellow stars and gay people were forced to wear pink triangles. But there was a long list of symbols of oppression and hate, including one for Catholics, Polish and Roma people. 

The red triangle was required of Wrong Thinkers, political or religious dissidents who dared to speak out against the ruling regime, and who didn't neatly fit into any other category of persecution. NAME uses this symbol to reaffirm our commitment to be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, to be advocates and to be allies to all who work for social justice and equity. 

The Sankofa bird in NAME’s logo is borrowed from the West African Akan people of Ghana. The symbol describes learning from the past in order to effectively build for the future. Literally, it means go back and fetch it. We support the wisdom that we must not forget our past when moving ahead. Sankofa is the realization of Self and Spirit. It represents the concepts of self-identity, redefinition and vision. It symbolizes an understanding that one’s destiny and collective identity of the larger cultural group.