Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy

A powwow is a Native gathering, where those from various tribal backgrounds can celebrate their culture, life, and each other’s company. It is an exciting time that often includes dancing, drumming, contests, feasting, and other activities. Powwows serve as a way to keep traditions alive and educate the future generations, while also sharing Native culture with others. All attendees must be respectful and follow the rules, and everyone is welcome! 

Contact powwow@umd.edu for questions, comments, or additional information. 

Throughout the year MICA hosts monthly casual lunch programs/presentations that support our mission and both inform and engage the campus community in conversation. Heritage month programs or University-wide initiatives are often used in the selection of program topics, and UMD faculty and staff are also invited to present their research or to talk about program offerings sponsored by their offices.

Have an idea for a Food For Thought? Want to collaborate on a topic or month? Contact MICA at mica-office@umd.edu.

TOTUS (whole, all, total, complete, every part, all together, all at once) is a credit-bearing experience that will help you explore marginalized identities and silenced voices in and through poetry to spark dialogue and action around identity, social justice and lived experience. The underlying goal of TOTUS is to promote a greater understanding of social justice through spoken word poetry by examining self and society in relation to systems of power and inequality.

*No prior experience with poetry, performance, or art is required. Many TOTUS students do not have any prior performance art experience and come from a variety of majors including STEM. *Graduate students are welcome to enroll.

TOTUS runs once a year as a 1 credit ARHU course section taught by Dr. Naliyah Kaya (nkaya@umd.edu). If you need registration clearance, please email Ross Angelella (jrangel@umd.edu). To learn more about the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House or to apply visit the ARHU website.

The words you use may have an impact on others. Consider the power of your words as you choose what to say, and consider different ways that you can communicate the same message. If you are offended by someone's language, engage them in a discussion. Ask them what they really meant by what they said. Together, sharing each other's stories, we can help others see the power of their words.

Common Ground Program

Resident Life's Common Ground Dialogue Program brings together groups of undergraduate students to engage in a peer-led, structured exploration of contemporary dilemmas in our society. Co-Curricular learning opportunities include: 

• Trending Topics, a one-session dialogue that creates an opportunity for students to consider the complexities and personal meanings of a current controversial issue or dilemma in our society. 
• YouID,  a one-session dialogue where students are invited to explore and reflect deeply on aspects of their identities that are important to them.
• Four-Session Dialogues, which guide students through peer-led discussions on societal issues, exploring diverse perspectives. 

General Resources:

• American Civil Liberties Union 
• Human Rights Watch
• Project Implicit
• Southern Poverty Law Center 
• Teaching for Change 
• Teaching Tolerance
• United Nations 

Resources on Race:

• Applied Research Center
• ColorLines 
• Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 

Resources on Gender, Sex, Sexual Orientation

• Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF)
• Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) 
• GLBT Community Programs 
• Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
• Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 
• Intersex Society of North America 
• National Gay & Lesbian Task Force 
• National Organization of Men Against Sexism 
• National Organization for Women (NOW)
• Novoresume
• YWCA

Resources on Class

• Feeding America
• Meals on Wheels
• PovertyNet @ The World Bank

Resources on Mental Health

• Active Minds 
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Defining Wellness Centers 

Resources on Disability

• Office of Disability Employment Policy