Navigating Identity and Difference: A Journey Through Education and Activism with Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13
In our current moment marked by political polarization and a deep sense of division, we find it critical to listen to those individuals who are building connections across lines of difference and advocating for change in their communities. One such individual is Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13, who sat with Denise Pacheco, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’11, Senior Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives, to share her journey into the powerful work of anti-racism education and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consulting.
B
orn to a white mother and Black father, Daedra Staten, J.D. ’13 identifies as a Black woman. Her exploration of identity began unexpectedly during her time at the UCLA Law School, where she came across the Critical Race Studies (CRS) specialization.
The CRS program was developed at UCLA in response to the passage of Proposition 209 which abolished affirmative action in the state of California. Prop 209 led to admissions declines for applicants from underrepresented groups at UCLA and throughout the University of California system. Understanding the context of the program specialization ignited a deeper exploration of race and identity within Staten.
“Being at UCLA helped me figure out how the world views me and how I view my place in the world, and the Critical Rase Studies program was really integral in that education.”
Staten’s academic pursuits were not just theoretical; they became a lens through which she viewed the disparities in higher education.
"I have always thought of education as a tool,” Staten says. “A lot of people talk about their education and they feel like it didn’t actually prepare them for what they’re doing, even if they go into their intended [career] field. I feel like my education … prepared me not to necessarily fulfill a specific role, but to think in a way that I feel is so valuable and so important.”
Staten took the bar exam thanks to encouragement from her CRS program faculty, and upon graduation, Staten became a staff member at UCLA Law where she worked on recruitment and outreach initiatives for the school’s Master of Laws program. Through her efforts as a staff member engaged in outreach, she realized that what she was doing was actually diversity recruitment, traveling across the world to promote UCLA Law.
“I wanted to go deeper into what my roots are in, both educationally and identity-wise. So I started looking into how I could get into Chief Diversity Officer roles … what’s the trajectory, what’s the path into that role, and then 2020 happened.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and the racial reckoning that occurred in the United States in 2020 was an impactful moment for Staten who realized that doing work that solely focuses on identity, race and the conversations we have around these topics was her calling. In the summer of 2020 she took the leap to launch her own consulting business, and by the fall of that year she was fully self-employed as an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consultant.
When engaging in her current work of anti-racism education and EDI consulting, Staten asks herself, “How do we make a thinker? How do we make someone who is capable of critical thinking, duality, of holding two truths at once, of confronting history - even if it is history that makes them feel [uncomfortable].”
Staten describes her work as more than just anti-racism and EDI work. “If you really pull away all the layers, what I am really invested in and committed to is [finding ways] for people to confront the truth, nakedly and honestly.”
Now, firmly engaged in this work, Staten grapples with the effects that being at a “predominantly privileged institution” had on herself and classmates from underrepresented and marginalized communities.
“I am a member of this community, of this prestigious space. I don’t always feel like I am a member of this community or prestigious space in the same way that some of my peers and classmates do. I have had moments where I think, ‘Did I lure students into an unsafe space for their identity? Did I entice people to come to a space that might not be the best mentally for them?’” On the other hand, Staten reflects, “I do feel a deep affinity for some of my classmates and professors, who I feel grateful, and even indebted to, for opening pathways and giving me [a] language to talk about my lived experience that I didn’t have prior.”
Understanding this, Staten describes our current moment as both terrifying and exciting.
“I think that there is a lot of hate. There is a lot of refusal to understand and intentional ignorance in our current moment,” Staten laments. Conversely, “What is energizing is that there are people who are taking issues on and putting their bodies, livelihoods and reputations at risk to take up the cause of others. I find that so incredibly inspiring. What is missing right now in the United States is more people that care about things that do not directly impact them.”
Staten's journey from student to advocate to educator exemplifies the power of leaning into one’s passions and embracing one’s own identity and the relentless pursuit of justice through education. When asked what advice she has for alumni and students, Staten says, “History, history, history. And ask questions about who is telling the history and why. Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. Take a deep breath and fully lean in to the idea of choosing discomfort, because that is the only way forward. We have to burden share, and if we are not willing to share in that discomfort we are not going anywhere.”
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