Multicultural Men’s Association (MMA) is an organization for men of color focused on creating community and togetherness. Overall, the program mainly focuses on event planning and talking with people who are also a part of the program. MMA puts mentors in place to guide younger students to feel more comfortable on campus.
Senior Deven Pearson, a member of the MMA, said that the MMA allowed him to be around more people that understand his culture.
“It’s a community between brothers on campus and just making sure we know who’s all out there on campus that we can connect to,” Pearson said.
Senior Khalil Mosey, a mentor for the MMA, also said MMA allowed him to engage with people in his culture and also joined MMA to grow socially because he was closed off growing up.
“What inspired me to join was to get out of my comfort zone and join a group of men of color who are a part of my culture and other cultures as well,” Khalil said.
Senior Anjual Joyner, an ambassador for the office of student inclusion and diversity (OSID) and mentor for MMA, said that being a mentor allows him to be in a place where he can be in a position for others to look up to and confide in.
“Being an OSID ambassador gave me experience to be more open and inclusive to other ethnic groups or minority groups,” Joyner said.
The connections that Joyner made through MMA inspired him to commit to his role as an OSID ambassador and mentor of the MMA.
MMA hosts several events throughout the academic year. Some of these events include “Paint with Da Guys,” which took place on Sept. 28 and “Cuts and Convos,” which is a future event MMA hopes to hold. During “Paint with Da Guys” men of color came together to paint and have conversations. At “Cuts and Convos,” MMA would give free haircuts, talk and check up on each other mentally.
Pearson said that this group supports members when they need emotional support.
Brotherhood can be defined as having a built-in support system and a lifelong friendship. MMA tackles a lot of things all at once, especially just creating this group in general. When multicultural men come together as one, it creates a powerful and enriching brotherhood.
“You know, if your mindset is a little off, you know you’ve seen you feeling down or something like that,” Pearson said. “There’s someone to pick you back up.”
