In January 2024, the Intercultural Center (IC) announced a change in leadership for the first time since 2019. Dr. Wade Manora Jr. is the new Assistant Dean and Director of the IC, succeeding Dr. Imaani El-Burki in the role.
Manora was the Director of Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Emory University-Oxford College from 2022 until his recent appointment at Swarthmore. While earning his Doctorate of Education from the University of Georgia, he also served as the Director of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of North Georgia. In an email to The Phoenix, he highlighted the position’s proximity to the student body at small liberal arts colleges like Swarthmore as a compelling reason to diverge from his past work at larger institutions.
Despite seeking a change in environment, he still reflects on his accomplishments at Emory and North Georgia with pride. His use of strategic plans to determine which campus needs his office could fulfill produced several projects, such as securing a grant to support Black male students, beginning a tradition of a Lavender Graduation, and creating a cultural development certification program. The most motivating moments in his past work have been in “creating avenues for my students to find pride in who they are while [helping] them reach their goals, such as graduating, securing an internship,” and other milestones, a reflection that aligns with the IC’s aim to “empower students to achieve their educational and individual goals.”
At Swarthmore, Manora plans to expand the framework of Heritage Month Celebrations, a nationally used model, to help prioritize the various interests of campus communities. Several resulting programs, such as the forthcoming VoicesMatter Speaker Series that corresponds with each Heritage Month, will ideally reflect and project the voices of marginalized students. Additionally, student-led representation is on the radar for Manora, who stated that, “We will also be continuing to support students in their advocacy as it is a fundamental premise needed to build a stronger community.” He added that “we are laser focused on collaborating with student organizations, other centers/offices, departments, and faculty to amplify what we already do” at the IC.
On his transition to the role of Director of the IC, Manora said that it was “seamless because it was very familiar to my previous work.” Stepping into it during a time when much uncertainty surrounds DEI programs and the rights of marginalized individuals under the Trump administration did not alter his goals and strategies either. Manora is adamant that “[t]he [IC] will always be a space that provides programs and services that support the personal and intellectual development of” the communities it serves. For those who have concerns about threats from the Trump administration to their safety, Manora believes that “educating students on the latest information is key,” as well as students having “some trust in the IC, myself, my team, and others across campus.”
Questions about the true degree of safety that an institution like Swarthmore can provide against government encroachment continue to persist, especially as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and police have begun using surprise tactics to detain students at other colleges. Manora addressed the resulting hesitancy some students may have about using the IC’s resources by encouraging them to have an individual conversation with him: “It may not erase that fear in totality, but I would hope that our conversation, turned into [many] conversations, would create an environment that…feels familiar and protected.”
Manora does not foresee a reduction in programming or funding for the IC as long as the college remains removed from direct action by the federal government. He emphasized the role of the IC at the college, saying, “[T]he work [at places] like the [IC] are vital to the success and matriculation of our students.” Right now, “[w]e are on Plan A, which is committed to our original work.”
Manora says that collaboration is at the forefront of his Plan A. Working with student groups and other identity-based centers “will allow all types of creativity to take place to form [lots] of intersectional programs.” Specifically, building educational programming is a high priority in the current political climate because Manora “[wants] to help the college at large understand [that] the experiences revolving around culture and belonging are valuable and should be affirmed” in spaces beyond those with explicit aims like the IC.
When asked what his favorite thing about the IC is, Manora named its facilitation of a collective space: “There are three floors of opportunities for students to communicate, be in community, and engage with one another.” Furthermore, the Trump administration’s actions have cemented his appreciation for spaces like the IC, and “further enshrined the need to do even more to educate our community on inclusive excellence and the importance of celebrating culture and community.”
