Course Overview
Umoja and the Basis of Black Student Achievement is a foundational Umoja Global Institute course for educators committed to transforming the educational experiences and outcomes of Black college students. This course names the problem clearly: inequity in higher education is not simply a “gap” in student ability—it is a socio-historical, cultural, and institutional pattern of misorientation, harm, and alienation that can be interrupted through deliberate practice.
Participants examine how schooling has been racialized across history and how deficit mindsets, cultural mismatch, and institutional design shape belonging, identity development, and academic outcomes. From that grounding, the course equips educators to operationalize Umoja’s approach: African-centered educational traditions, Black intellectual legacies, and the Umoja Practices as a methodology for teaching, counseling, and program practice.
By the end, participants will not only understand why Umoja works—they will be prepared to apply culturally sustaining, self-affirming approaches that build self-efficacy and strengthen Black student persistence, completion, and transfer.
What You’ll Learn
- How socio-historical forces shaped inequitable higher education conditions—and how those conditions show up today in policy, practice, and outcomes
- How African-centered education and Black intellectual traditions function as a counter-frame to cultural misorientation and deficit narratives
- How to apply Umoja’s theory of change: intentionally recognizing student voices and histories to cultivate self-efficacy
- How to operationalize the Umoja Practices in day-to-day educator and practitioner roles
- How educator mindsets and behaviors affect Black student self-concept, engagement, and achievement—and what to do differently
- How to use an Umoja-aligned rubric lens (with case examples) to evaluate practice and recommend improvements
Course Arc (4 Modules)
- Module 1 – The Need for Change: socio-historical landscape of education, systemic barriers, the founding purpose of Umoja, and the case for culturally grounded transformation
- Module 2 – Connecting to the African Diaspora: Black intellectual traditions, African-centered education principles, and tools for building learning environments responsive to the African diaspora
- Module 3 – Our Methodology: the Umoja Practices as the operational approach—cultural significance, domains of practice, and using practices as a barometer for success
- Module 4 – Practitioners as Change Agents: expectations of Umoja practitioners, authority + authenticity, educator impact on students, and evaluation using a rubric/case lens
Who Should Enroll
- Faculty (discipline faculty, Umoja faculty, basic skills, transfer-level, honors/AP backgrounds)
- Counselors, advisors, and student support practitioners
- Equity, Black Student Success, and culturally centered program leaders
- Deans, program managers, coordinators, and instructional leaders
- Educators seeking African-centered frameworks for culturally sustaining practice
Instructor
Myia Clarisse Williams, M.A.Ed.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Umoja Community Education Foundation
Myia Clarisse Williams, M.A.Ed. serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Umoja Community Education Foundation.
Myia has worked to advance Black students' success in a variety of settings. From the playground to the lecture hall; from Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes to Special Education classrooms for neurodivergent or Emotionally Disturbed (ED) populations; from after-school programs to first-year graduate students, Myia C. Williams continues to explore the needs around Black student education while working to raise levels of understanding, intentionality, and accountability amongst educators, families, and students.
Operating within the paradigm of African-centered education, Ms. Williams helps educators to identify ways they can authentically practice pedagogies that are culturally relevant, unifying, and self-affirming.
Myia joined our team in 2019.