CAEL exists to create achievable education-to-work pathways for all adult learners. Over 50 years of championing adult learners, we have developed a keen appreciation of what separates active advocacy from passive tolerance. The centerpiece of our work with workforce, economic development, postsecondary, and business partnerships has always been to demarginalize traditionally underserved learners, progressing perceptions of adult learners from “nontraditional” to “new traditional.”
Yet we realize our work will never be complete while racism and the inequities it perpetuates exist. And this means that we cannot overlook opportunities to do more to tangibly and emphatically connect our mission and work to the broader one of eradicating systemic racism. CAEL advocates for equitable treatment and support of all learners and workers.
Having honest conversations about racism in the world today requires courage, respect, and compassion. Though these discussions are not always easy, CAEL pledges to purposefully confront challenges related to race, color, ethnicity, and their impact on all adult learners.
