Denmark Diaz
Denmark Diaz is the Men’s Health & Sexual Violence Prevention Educator at San Francisco State University – Health Promotion and Wellness.
“I am excited at the prospect of being a Surge Fellow at this moment, as I want to disrupt the dominant vertical models of cis white heterosexual male saviorhood. Elevating and centering leaders of color in education is what will pave the way for true educational equity. I believe this fellowship can open doors for me to find my voice, articulate my vision, and further adopt liberatory models to foster cultures in my campus community to be in partnership with communities of color that position them as active creative agents of their success, not just passive recipients of programs.”
Denmark Diaz (he/they) is the Men’s Health & Sexual Violence Prevention Educator in the Health Promotion & Wellness unit at San Francisco State University, where he works collaboratively to spur cultural, programmatic, and organizational changes to build campus-wide capacity for sexual violence prevention and promote healthy masculinity through a public health lens as a means to support academic success especially for marginalized student communities of color.
Denmark brings with him 10+ years of experience in health equity, outreach, and evidence-based programs focusing on HIV prevention, sexual health education, substance abuse prevention, and violence prevention for marginalized communities in college and community-based settings all across the SF Bay Area. Prior to SF State, Denmark started their professional journey through their HIV and substance abuse prevention education work in Asian & Pacific Islander communities, where they directly learned not only about social and structural inequities that directly impact health, but also the value of culturally relevant approaches and the inherent of power of our communities to create change. Keeping these lessons close to their heart, Denmark continues to be guided by the prospect of social change in his current role by coordinating transformative activities, workshops, programs, and processes aimed to advance racial and health equity at the group, community, and organizational levels within the institution while always striving to center marginalized voices in their pursuit to promote healthy relationships and support student success.
Denmark holds an undergraduate degree in Health Education from SF State and is currently an OAK21 Fellow at the Surge Institute, an organization committed to accelerating and empowering emerging leaders of color in education. Outside of work, you can find Denmark exploring hidden hiking trails throughout the Bay on beautiful foggy days.
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