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 Francine
Oputa is convinced the central San Joaquin Valley’s cultural heritage
can and should be celebrated, appreciated and studied.
That’s why she is so enthusiastic about her new role as director of the
Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute, which is based at California
State University, Fresno.
The institute is a campus-community collaboration dedicated to the
celebration and study of the cultural heritage, diversity and
contributions of the Valley’s people.
“We want to help bring together campus and community people and cultural
groups to learn about one another and share information and resources,”
said Oputa. “The institute will be the facilitator.”
The institute serves as an on-campus resource for students, faculty and
staff for issues related to diversity and cultural competency. Staff
members are available for consultation for campus and community
individuals.
Oputa and institute steering committee and advisory board members are
developing a list of community cultural organizations and agencies and
visiting with the groups to determine how the institute can best serve
their needs.
The Cultural Heritage Institute has sponsored workshops and various
other activities in recent years. With a permanent director it now can
focus its efforts on developing strong community ties, said Oputa, who
will continue in her role as head of the Women’s Resource Center at
Fresno State until a replacement is hired.
“Our Valley is wonderfully diverse, but we don’t take advantage of that
richness,” she said. “Our first goal is to bring that diversity to the
forefront, identify it and celebrate it.”
Oputa defines culture in a broad sense, including gender, religion,
sexual identity and disability. Heritage includes not just ethnicity but
geographic roots, too, she said.
With diversity may come conflict, she said, which must be faced and
dealt with in a proactive way to bring groups together. The Cultural
Heritage Institute coordinates the work of the campus National Coalition
Building Institute team, which facilitates a Welcoming Diversity
Workshop and a Controversial Issues Process that help bring groups
together and reduce prejudices. These services are available to the
campus and the community at large.
“We want to be a place for people to have what we call ‘difficult
dialogue.’ A non-judgmental place where they can talk about issues,
examine personal feelings and see how they can interact with others,”
she said.
For more information, contact the Central Valley Cultural Heritage
Institute at 559.278.6946 or
cvchi@csufresno.edu.
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