aa Valdivia (pronounced ah-ah) is of mixed heritage ancestry who uses THEY/THEM pronouns. Their father comes from a small village in Zacatecas, Mexico while their mother is from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. aa is Two Spirit, Black, Indigenous, Boricua Xicanx Eco-Feminist, QTPOC! (Queer 2 Spirit Person of Color). They have been engaged in Social justice work since the mid 1990’s

aa is strongly motivated by social justice teaching frameworks where teaching becomes an interactive experience where both the student and teacher (and community) are engaged in the process of learning. aa believes, we are all a diversity of knowledge that can come together to benefit all participants. As a queer Black Indigenous person of color, with an invisible disability, they have experienced firsthand the oppression, marginalization and hegemonic practices that exist within higher Education environments. aa is sensitive to issues surrounding identity (race,class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.) and learning styles (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic, etc) and believes all people have knowledge to contribute. aa currently teaches Social Justice, Food Justice, and Ethnic Studies related courses at various Bay Area Universities.

aa Valdivia

Associate