Topic: “What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – The Counterstory”
Presented by: Nancy Dome, Dora Dome, Kelly Cole with special Guest Anita Ortega
Please bring your questions and join the conversation!
When: Part 2 Wednesday, September 23
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM Pacific Time
Register for parts 2-5 of this CRT series here
Wed 9/23 Part 2: What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – The Counterstory
Tue 9/29 Part 3: What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – The Permanence of Racism
Tue 10/6 Part 4: What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – Interest Convergence
Tue 10/13 Part 5: What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – The Critique of Liberalism
Tue 10/27 Part 6 – What is Critical Race Theory…Really? – Wrap Up
Anita Ortega, the first African-American woman to become a Los Angeles Police Department area captain, enrolled at UCLA in 1976 with a partial academic scholarship as the first in her family to attend a four-year university. During her freshman year she made UCLA’s Division I women’s basketball team as a walk-on, and her performance on the court earned her a full athletic scholarship for the following year. In 1978, she led the Bruins to their first national championship with a game-high 23 points in a 90-74 win over the Maryland Terps, earning her an All-American honorable mention.
From 1979 to 1981, Ortega took a hiatus from education and went on to earn All-Pro honors in the Women’s Professional Basketball League with the San Francisco Pioneers before returning to UCLA to finish her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1982. After graduation, she served as the assistant coach for the women’s basketball team for two years, and in 2002 she was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2018, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2021, her high school jersey will be retired.
Ortega joined the LAPD in 1984, and in 2009 attained the rank of area captain of the Hollenbeck Division, which serves a community of about 200,000 residents on Los Angeles’ Eastside. She retired in 2016. She currently serves on two boards- National Association of Sports Officials and the UCLA’s Dean’s Advisory Board. She’s a NCAA Division I women’s basketball official and is president of Motivational Enterprise Inc., which motivates female professionals to overcome obstacles and find success. She is also owner of a Phenix Salon Suites in Diamond Bar.
Ortega was named the UCLA Latino Alumni Association’s Alumna of the Year in 2011, received the UCLA Alumni Association’s Public Service Award in 2015, and was the UCLA commencement speaker in 2017. She was selected by the California State Assembly as the 2012 Woman of the Year for the 46th District.