Kostas Bagakis

A bi-lingual, working class, Greek-American man, Kostas was an early member of the "Unlearning Racism" movement started by Erica Sherover Marcuse. He has a unique approach to community building and has spent decades developing a systemic approach for looking at the pervasive and, too often, hidden effects of class issues on individuals, organizations, and community. Kostas speaks at conferences and facilitates workshops which demonstrate how class issues divide people and impact everyone's ability to find meaning in work and live together in diverse communities.

Kostas was born and raised in Oakland, CA, as the son of immigrant parents. Educated in the public school system, he spent half of his life as a manual/skilled laborer, became a public school teacher, and later, a university professor. Because of his background and cultural/political identification, Kostas empathizes with the position of being an outsider in our society. His identity informs his commitment to the value of a "full-group process approach" to problem solving. He shows clearly how people from marginalized groups provide us with essential information for creating viable solutions to systemic organizational and community problems.

Kostas' deep theoretical understanding of and original teachings about societal structures (including class, race, and gender) as well as his gentle and articulate manner give him a profound ability to bring together people from diverse backgrounds in conversation, work, and creative problem-solving.

Using Powerful Non-Defensive Communication techniques, Kostas works primarily with non-profits, educational institutions, social activists and community groups. Any organization can gain new perspectives for organizational change and enhance the ability of its people to work together in with dignity and respect. Kostas is a lecturer at San Francisco State University and has taught classes on critical thinking, philosophy, cultural democracy and peace studies.

Presentation Topics

• Diversity
• Class
• Racism
• Cultural Democracy
• Democratic Education
• Educational group process
• Learning theory and practice
• Community education

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