Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations
2023 - 2024
Introduction
The 2023-2034 academic year brought renewal, new opportunities, and growth for the Harvard Foundation. In our 43rd year of operations, we continued an invigorating transformation and deepened our reach while successfully onboarding new full time staff and student workers. We took time to carefully explore our policies, practices, and messaging, and we used those to craft initiatives that helped our campus community make progress together. As we look back on this year, we celebrate accomplishments including an empowering preorientation program with the largest cohort to date, a robust slate of events and student-facilitated dialogues, an engaging campus-wide First-Generation and/or LowIncome Visibility Week, and the sold-out crowd at the Cultural Rhythms Showcase as part of the 38th Annual Cultural Rhythms Festival. Through intercultural programming, diversity education initiatives, and specialized student support, our team asked critical questions, fostered reflection and action, and inspired our students to create community across cultures.
Creating
Community Across Cultures
Mission + History
The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations was founded in 1981 to “enhance the quality of our common life.” Through educational engagement programs, student leadership development, and cultural celebrations, the Foundation seeks to involve students of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds in the full range of opportunities available at Harvard College.
Our efforts are designed to build community, promote intercultural awareness, and prepare students to become inclusive leaders. We engage with our Harvard Foundation Internship Program, our Student Advisory Committee (SAC) Board, cultural student organizations, and campus partners to develop, implement, and assess programming aligned with our mission.
The Foundation supports initiatives that are designed to promote interracial and intercultural understanding in the Harvard community and highlight the cultural contributions of students from all backgrounds.
From the Director
Dear Friends and Family of the Harvard Foundation,
As the academic year comes to a close, faculty, staff, and students often enter a period of reflection. We take time to consider the programs we’ve implemented, the connections we’ve made, and the lessons we’ve learned over the course of the year. We reflect on how we can continue to uphold our organization’s mission, achieve our goals, and make a positive difference in our community as we prepare to regroup and reimagine what next year will bring.
Although I joined the Harvard Foundation Team during the last quarter of the semester, in some ways, it feels as though we have been together much longer. Through official meetings, programs, and casual conversations, every day I continue to broaden my understanding and appreciation of this organization whose priority is, and will continue to be, an unwavering dedication to our students and commitment to creating community across cultures through intercultural programming and diversity education initiatives.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, we successfully facilitated or collaborated on 167 programs aimed at engaging, supporting, and educating all students at Harvard. However, it would be negligent not to recognize the significant challenges faced by many members of our community during this period. Feelings of pain, mistrust, and anger have significantly undergirded the year in substantial ways. In moments like these, we direct our attention toward our students, and draw upon the values established by those who came before us. While we may not always get it right, we persist in our efforts to uphold the core values that define our Foundation.
As stated in an October newsletter by Associate Director, Matias Ramos, “now more than ever we should become the peacekeepers, problem-solvers, and truth-seekers that the world needs us to be.” With this in mind, we welcome your continued collaboration as we actively pursue opportunities for mutual understanding and collective growth.
Thank you for an incredibly unforgettable welcome to the Harvard community. Working alongside this team and all of you has been a great honor, and I am filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together in the years to come.
In solidarity,
Habiba Braimah Senior Director, Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations
Habiba Braimah
Our Team
The Harvard Foundation Team includes full time professional staff, undergraduate interns, and student advisory committee board members. Everyone is dedicated to developing intercultural connections, uplifting people from all backgrounds, and educating our community about the wide array of components that constitute culture!
Full-Time Staff
Internship Cohort
Kyla Golding ‘24
Cindy Phan ‘24
Karen Torres ‘24
Ana Paula Barba ’25
Cody Chou ’25
Hayat Muse ’25
Tiffany Onyeiwu ‘25
Jetta Strayhorn ’25
LeMonie Hutt ‘26
Isabela Gonzalez Lawand ’26
Nathalie Arruda Milbradt ’26
Amber Nolazco Torres ’26
Jason Coreas ‘27
Nana Yaa Dwomoh ’27
Marina Gonzalez ’27
Nhaomi Lartey ’27
Student Advisory Committee Board Members
Daniella Berrospi ‘24
Gloria Maldonado ‘24
Glorianna Crichlow ‘26
Shukria Yassin ’26
Our Partnerships
Collaborative Programs + Trainings
4103 Attendees for Spring Programs
Throughout the year, we took a collaborative approach to our work. We successfully partnered across 51 departments and with 48 student groups on programs aimed at engaging, supporting, and educating all students at Harvard College to become the best citizens and citizen leaders they can be.
We intentionally explored the ways we told our story and worked to keep our constituencies up-to-date on offerings from the Foundation and partners. We were buoyed by the communities with whom we partner and serve, and we strove to ask deliberate questions about the efficacy of the processes by which we design, develop and implement our programs. We aimed to incorporate feedback from our partners to assess and fortify future iterations of our endeavors.
We opened our doors and ensure that all felt welcome in our space: to discuss, to explore, to question, to dream. Bolstered by feedback like, “this program is just what I needed” and “this means so much to me, thank you” we continue our efforts and remain dedicated to our work and to the Harvard community.
Grounded by our core values of advocacy, partnership, community building, and empowerment, the Harvard Foundation invested in connections with both established and new partners across campus. Through both traditional and original initiatives, we aimed to consistently create community through culture and address the needs voiced by our students.
Program Collaborations
Our collaborations came in many forms throughout the year. The Foundation took the lead on 82 programs (26%), collaborated with other offices on 65 programs (20.6%), and supported 20 programs (6.3%) organized by student organizations. In addition to the 167 programs led or supported by our team, the Foundation also hosted 148 additional classes, programs, and meetings in our space at Grays Hall (47%) throughout the course of the year.
Programming Highlights
Foundation Fridays + Study Jams
The Harvard Foundation is committed to being a welcoming host for everyone who visits our office. We offer coffee and tea in our breakfast lounge daily, and promote a consistent safe space for anyone to come and share in a time of community. This year, we hosted five Foundation Fridays (Sept 15, Oct 13, Oct 27, Feb 9, Apr 12) which served as open houses with crafts, cultural food, and educational material that celebrated various cultures and identities of members in the Harvard community. We also hosted Study Jams Sessions with international snacks and study tables during the Fall and Spring reading periods to demonstrate that we are a space designed to foster inclusivity, support student success, and nurture a sense of belonging for all.
Community Conversations + Diversity Dialogues
The Foundation engages our community in thoughtful discourse about social identities, the nuances of culture, and dialoguing across difference. During orientation, we organized the Community Conversations discussion for the Class of 2027 first-years. This year’s readings centered around the 2022 Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Report. Throughout the year, we continued our diversity education efforts by facilitating peer-led Diversity Dialogues, developing training materials for student organizations, and creating resources to equip students and organizations to have these discussions among themselves and their peers.
Mindfulness + Meditation
We recognize the important role that mindful and meditative practices can play in people’s lives, and we partner with the Center for Wellness and Health Promotion and the student-led Harvard Meditation Club to host weekly classes in the Serenity Room located in Grays Hall.
Undocumented (DACA) Student Support
The Harvard Foundation provides specialized support for undocumented students through the coordination of the Undocumented Students Working Group, a network of staff in critical student service roles that act as a source of support in navigating complex institutional and legal situations that students might face.
Esteemed Guests
Throughout the year, we were honored to host esteemed guests like Grupo Frontera, ThankGod4Cody, Sekou McMiller, and Mandy Cohen.
Programming Highlights
First-Year Retreat & Experience (FYRE) Pre-Orientation Program
The 2023-2024 academic year was the 6th iteration of the FYRE PreOrientation Program designed for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students at Harvard College This year over 130 firstyear students participated and were supported by 36 Team Leaders, 4 Steering Committee Members and 2 Co-Chairs. In post-survey responses, students reported an increase in confidence levels, feelings of belonging, access to agency, and academic, social, and navigational capital.
First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FGLI) Visibility Week
FGLI Week was created in 2022 to enhance visibility and support to the FGLI community at Harvard. This year, we hosted 25 events, which include socials, professional and career development workshops, wellness, and academic events, in collaboration with multiple departments, offices, and student organizations for approximately 2,000 participants.
Scholarship and Social Justice Undergraduate Research Conference
This annual research conference has been hosted in collaboration with the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship and the Harvard College Women’s Center since 2015. This year, 29 undergraduate presenters from across the country came together with faculty and staff to uplift social-justice focused scholarship and reflective learning. One of the major focuses of this year’s conference was exploring climate justice and environmental racism. The conference began with a faculty panel entitled Cultivating Justice: Black Ecologists' Community Insights on Race, Ecology, and Action, and continued the next day with a keynote about Mobilizing Environmental Movements through Mapping with Marcos Luna, PhD.
Portraiture Project
The Portraiture Project seeks to increase the representation and recognition of the successes of professionals from diverse backgrounds at Harvard by commissioning and displaying their portraits. Members of Harvard’s Men’s Lacrosse Team joined portraitist Stephen Coit (’71, MBA ’77), chief curator, Brenda Tyndall, and the Harvard Foundation for the unveiling of the portrait of Lucien V. Alexis Jr. '42, the first Black player on the Harvard Team, who faced significant adversity throughout his career.
Sustainability Initiatives
We deepened our focus on sustainability initiatives and invested in events about climate justice and environmental racism. As of this year, the Foundation maintains a Hydroponic Garden where the community is encouraged to grow their own vegetables indoors. We also hosted a Vegan Chef of Color for Intersectional Earth Week with the Harvard Climate Coalition, and Tara Houska, the founder of the Giniw Collective.
Student Advisory Committee
101 Student Attendees
35 Student Organizations Receiving Grants
$97K Grants Distributed
The Harvard Foundation Student Advisory Committee (SAC) supported a full year of cultural programming organized by Harvard College registered student organizations. The four person Student Advisory Committee Board supported these organizations by administering grants obtained through the Student Activity Fee Committee. This year’s SAC Board members were Daniella Berrospi ‘24, Gloria Maldonado ‘24, Glorianna Crichlow ‘26, Shukria Yassin ’26.
The SAC strives to support its affiliate cultural, identity, or affinity organizations financially and logistically, as well as to generate programming that promotes a culturally interconnected environment at Harvard College.
Grant Awardees
The Association of Black Harvard Women
Harvard African Students Association
Society of Arab Students
Harvard Undergraduate Arab Women's Collective
Bengali Association of Students at Harvard College
Harvard Black Men’s Forum
Harvard Undergraduate Black Muslim Collective
Harvard Undergraduate Black Premedical Society
Black Students Association
Harvard Caribbean Club
Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association
Concilio Latino de Harvard College
The Cuban American Undergraduate Student Association
The Cultural Rhythms Food Festival
Harvard Undergraduate Dominican Student Association
Eleganza
Harvard Undergraduate Francophone Society/HCC
Fuerza Latina
Harvard Undergraduate Association of Ghanaian Students
Harvard College Generational African American Students Association
Greener Scott Scholars
Harvard Undergraduate Ghungroo
Harvard Islamic Society
Harvard Undergraduate Latina Empowerment & Development Conference
Latinas Unidas de Harvard College
Undergraduate Mariachi Veritas de Harvard
Natives at Harvard College
Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association
Harvard College Nigerian Students Association
Harvard College Pakistan Student Association
Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee
Harvard College Polish Society
Harvard Queer Student Association
Harvard-Radcliffe RAZA
Harvard Undergraduate South Asians for Forward-Thinking Advocacy and Research
Cultural Rhythms Festival
The Harvard Foundation offered a week-long Festival of programming leading up to the 38th Annual Cultural Rhythms Showcase this March. Cultural Rhythms is the college’s oldest and largest festival that celebrates the rich cultural and ethnic diversity on campus. Harvard Foundation Interns, Kyla Golding ‘24 and Cindy Phan ‘24, served as the Cultural Rhythms Directors, and the entirety of our Harvard Foundation Intern Team worked tirelessly to support the successful implementation of this celebration.
The theme of this year’s Cultural Rhythms Festival was “A Family Affair,” which honored the community of our chosen family and the culture we create together here at Harvard. The Cultural Rhythm Directors emphasized the importance of envisioning Harvard as a place where gatherings for cultural expression, art, and conversation can take place. The Directors hope to continue to foster spaces that honor everyone’s heritages and create community across cultures, so that even in difficult times, we all may find ourselves around the family table, hearing, holding, and honoring each other.
The week included a cultural fashion show where student models representing 25 distinct cultures demonstrated how the art of fashion is a way for communities across the globe to express their rich heritage and share their values and stories, a Food Festival with over 20 cultural undergraduate student groups sharing their own cuisine, Karaoke with RAZA, Quilting with the Black Arts Collective, International Night with Woodbridge, and of course the Cultural Rhythms Showcase that spotlighted ten engaging cultural performances and a conversation with 2024 Artists of the Year, two-time Emmy and Tony-Award winning actor and producer Courtney B. Vance ‘82 (in attendance), and honorary Oscar Recipient and Golden Globe Award-winning actress, producer, and executive director, Angela Bassett.
Through Cultural Rhythms, we highlight the vibrancy of the myriad of cultures at Harvard, and we rejoice in everyone’s individual cultural expression. With almost 2000 in-person participants at the Festival’s programming, we are inspired by the ways we are creating community across cultures.
Creating Community Across Cultures
Your support allows the Harvard Foundation to work to carry out our mission and enrich students’ experiences at Harvard. A portion of the Foundation’s annual budget comes from the support of alumni and friends in the form of individual gifts made to the Harvard Foundation Fund, 330050.
All donations to the Harvard Foundation are tax-deductible and eligible for Harvard College Fund class credit!
Donations by check should be made out to Harvard College, with fund number 330050 written on the memo line and mailed to:
The Harvard Foundation
7 Harvard Yard Grays Hall, Lower Level Cambridge, MA 02138
For credit card donations, please go to the Harvard College Giving Page, choose “OTHER” in the “Select Fund” drop down menu, and write 330050 in the “Other Fund Name” field to ensure that your gift is allocated to the Harvard Foundation. We appreciate your support!
Thank You to Our Partners
Academic Resource Center
Asian American Dance Troupe
Association of Black Harvard Women
Bengali Association of Students at Harvard Black Arts Collective
Bryant Valenzuela
Candela
Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship
Center for Wellness and Health Promotion
Counseling and Mental Health Care Services
Crimson Catering
Crimson Summer Academy
Cuban American Undergraduate Student Association
Dean of Administration & Finance
Department of Psychology
Dexter Suhn Productions
Disability Access Office
Education Support Services
FAS Office of Communication
First Generation Harvard Alumni
First-Year Retreat Experience (FYRE)
Fuerza Latina
Harvard African Students Association
Harvard Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi, American Town
Hall Coaltion Group
Harvard Athletics
Harvard Black Muslim Collective
Harvard Black Student Association
Harvard Box Office Team
Harvard College Admissions & Financial Aid
Harvard College Dean of Students Office
Harvard College Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team
Harvard College First-Year Experience
Harvard College Nigerian Students Association
Harvard College Office of BGLTQ Student Life
Harvard College Queer Students Association
Harvard College Women’s Center
Harvard College Writing Center
Harvard Common Spaces
Harvard Dance Program
Harvard Dominican Students Association
Harvard Financial Aid Initiative
Harvard First Generation Program
Harvard Gazette
Harvard Hillel
Harvard International Office
Harvard Lacrosse
Harvard Libraries
Harvard Primus
Harvard Radcliffe Chinese Student Association
Harvard Representation Initiative
Harvard Taekwondo Demonstration Team
Harvard Undergraduate Association
Harvard Undergraduate Association of Ghanaian Students
Harvard Undergraduate Bhangra
Harvard Undergraduate Hawai’i Club
Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association
Harvard Undergraduate Philippine Forum
Harvard Undergraduate Students for Myanmar
Harvard Undergraduate Veteran Organization
Harvard Undergraduate Woodbridge
International Society
Harvard University Disability Justice
Harvard University Graduate Commons Program
Harvard University Health Services
Harvard University Native American
Harvard University Office For Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Harvard Yard Operations
Harvard-Radcliffe RAZA
Kuumba Singers
Latina Empowerment and Development
Latinas Unidas de Harvard College
Mariachi Veritas
Mignone Center for Career Success
Natives at Harvard College
Nunchi Health
Office for Gender Equity
Office for The Arts at Harvard
Office for Undergraduate Education
Office of International Education
Office of the Dean of Harvard College
Office of the President
Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships
Omo Naija x Wahala Boys
Palestine Solidarity Committee
Parent and Family Engagement
Phillips Brooks House Association
Queer Students Association
RAZA Ballet Folklorico
Residential Life
Sanders Theatre & Technical Team
Schlesinger Library
sian American Association (AAA)
Society of Arab Students
South Asian Association
Student Advisory Committee Board
Student Engagement
Trans+Harvard
Ukranian Student Group
University Disability Resources
Woodbridge International Society