R. Cielo (aka Rosana) Cruz is a racial justice educator, facilitator, cultural organizer, and writer. They have lived in New Orleans for over 20 years and in that time, worked closely with numerous organizations in the struggle for racial justice, lgbtq liberation and immigrant rights.

Cruz most recently served in the senior leadership of Race Forward, a national racial justice organization. As Vice President of Movement and Capacity Building, they built a dynamic and diverse team of trainers, coaches, and consultants delivering racial equity training to thousands of employees throughout the non-profit sector.

Cruz came to that work after their tenure as Associate Director of VOTE (Voice Of The Experienced) in New Orleans. Previously, Cruz worked with Safe Streets/Strong Communities, the National Immigration Law Center,  SEIU 1991, the Hispanic Apostolate, the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of New Orleans, and People’s Youth Freedom School. Cruz began their racial justice training and facilitation work for the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond in the late 1990s.

They hold an MA in Latin American Studies from the Stone Center at Tulane University and a BA in Race and Gender Studies from New College of Florida.

Let’s engage and grow together.

Facilitation and coaching support are available to organizations and individuals seeking to change their practices towards a culture of equity, justice, healing and liberation. I work primarily with arts organizations, queer and trans folks, community organizers, artists, educators and parents. Click on the respective button below to beginning the screening process and see if we’re a match.