2018-2019 JHU OMA Annual Report 2019 OMA Annual Report_Unabridged | Page 3

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Executive Summary
Since restructuring in 2016, the Office of
Multicultural Affairs (OMA) has seen great
successes in the overall commitment to
community development within the
undergraduate population and the
underrepresented students we specifically
serve via office initiatives. The retooling and
development of the Multicultural Leadership
Council (MLC) as a powerful student
advocacy and advisory board has continued to
support our student groups and organizations and provided a template of effective leadership for the
university at large. The MLC has been influential in delivering leadership concepts and practices
(Cultural Wealth Model, Critical Race Theory, etc.) via meetings and in-services. The shared language
around identity and leadership has resonated with many students and allowed them to view their
experiences as vehicles for effective leadership.
Our office also committed itself to supporting students’ racial/ethnic identity beyond the traditional
cultural month celebrations and set out to engage our new year-long approach through the Heritage
365 campaign. Heritage 365 celebrated our Black, Latinx, Asian Pacific, and Indigenous students in a
newfound approach that encapsulated the importance of acknowledging, celebrating, and engaging
these groups with an intent that reflected JHU inclusion. Our events reached large attendance numbers
and true collaborations were at an all-time high. Our office worked with over 30 partnerships through
collaborations and programming opportunities. We continued to work with alumni associations (SOBA
and HOLA) and supported potential high school students looking to make Hopkins their home through
the HOMES and Discovery Days programs via JHU Admissions. Our office also embarked upon
creating new opportunities for emerging leaders to hone their skills and dialogue around identity
through our first ever Multicultural Leadership Institute. We hope this investment will allow our office
to empower future leadership to tackle issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion within the
Hopkins cultural landscape. The next phase of our work will find us in new collaborations and
following successes of old traditions that have become a staple to the experiences at JHU.