Milton is a safe and generous place for young people to live and learn. The idea that each individual brings a unique and valuable dimension to our shared experience drives the relationships in our community. To us, growing and learning among individuals who share widely divergent life stories, and appreciating their respective cultures, is an invaluable aspect of a true education.

Students and faculty of Color
Students who self-identify as either African-American, Asian-American, Latino, Middle-Eastern or bi/multi-racial, make up 40 percent of our Upper School student body.

The Upper School faculty is made up of 12 percent people of color. That translates into 22 Upper School teachers and administrators who are either African-American, Asian-American, Latino, Middle-Eastern or bi/multi-racial. Faculty and administrators at Milton are dedicated to building a diverse community of teachers and students committed to learning and mutual respect.

Diversity Administration
The director of student multicultural programming coordinates all student diversity programs; leads the Transition and Host Family programs; coordinates Black History Month events; serves as liaison for organizations that help enroll students of color at Milton; and takes part in meetings of class deans, house heads and other faculty who care for students every day.

The director of multiculturalism and community development is a member of Milton's administrative council. She plans and facilitates diversity programs; serves as a resource for diversity initiatives; helps organize faculty meetings on diversity issues; co-chairs Cultural Diversity Committee and Culturefest; sits on department chairs and calendar committee; and leads the Class II Social Awareness program.

The Cultural Diversity Committee (CDC)
Founded in 1982 by faculty members, this committee also has involved parents, administrators, trustees and students at various periods throughout its history. Its charter of 1995 charges the group to “diversify school culture, faculty, administration, staff, and curriculum.” Programs either initiated or developed by CDC include the Transition Program, the Host Family Program, Parents For Diversity, the Middle School Issues Project, inclusion of Jewish Holidays into the school calendar, hiring recommendations for diversity, the Campus Orientation Program for all new students, and the permanent photography exhibit honoring the history of girls at Milton. In 2009–2010, this committee led the National Association of Independent Schools AIM (Assessment on Inclusivity and Multiculturalism) process at Milton.

Inservice Professional Development for Faculty
Each year educators and consultants in the field of diversity come to Milton Academy to work with the faculty on the many aspects of this field. Guests have included author Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, Dean of Mt. Holyoke College; Dr. Howard Stevenson, Associate Professor of Psychology at Penn; Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Director of the Center for Afro-American Studies at Harvard University; Mica Pollack of Harvard University and Theresa Perry of Simmons College. Guests have also included Milton alumni giving voice to their experiences as students.

S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project
Since 1986, the National S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project, based at the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, has established faculty-led staff development seminars in schools throughout the country. Since 1997, Milton has sponsored a series of monthly S.E.E.D. seminars open to all faculty and staff. The voluntary seminars are based on the reading of scholarly literature, as well as on films that reflect a diversity of perspectives. Using the metaphor of windows and mirrors, S.E.E.D. suggests that an inclusive curriculum provides learners with a balance: a window to frame and acknowledge the diverse experiences of others, and a mirror to reflect our own experience and the validity of each individual.

On-Campus Student Groups
Asian Society - Promotes Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Island cultures through weekly meetings and activities.

Latino Association - Promotes awareness of Latino/Hispanic culture in the U.S. and abroad through social and cultural activities.

Onyx - An organization through which Black students can find social, cultural and political support among their peers through weekly meetings and activities. Membership is open to all students who are interested in appreciating, respecting and learning about the Black experience.

HAPA (the Hawaiian word for half) - Discussion group for biracial and multiracial students.

GASP! (Gay & Straight People) - Discusses issues of sexual orientation, educates the campus, and provides support to people of all orientations.

Common Ground - A multicultural, action-oriented association working to support diversity and community at Milton. Its goal is to educate the School about ethnic, racial, religious, gender, family and sexual differences, while celebrating the "common ground" that brings together all groups.

Christian Fellowship - The purpose of the Christian Fellowship is to provide an open and friendly environment for Christians and those interested in the Christian faith. We welcome people of all backgrounds to come and discuss the relevance of Christianity in today's society.

Jewish Student Union - Discusses issues about and affecting the Jewish community within Milton and beyond. All members of the Milton community are encouraged to share their thoughts, opinions and ideas regardless of their religion, race, or ethnicity.

Muslim Student Association - Discussion group about issues relating to Islam.

Student Diversity Publications
Ache — A multicultural literary and art magazine published each semester by an editorial board of students of color at Milton. Its purpose is to explore the experiences of people of color and to give them voice.

The Asian — A monthly periodical that reports on Pan-Asian issues both abroad and in the U.S. Students are encouraged to write and use graphic design to express their political and creative opinions in an open forum on Asian and Asian-American issues and culture.

La Voz — Milton's Spanish language student newspaper. Published quarterly, this paper gives Spanish language students at level III or higher the opportunity to write in Spanish on issues at Milton, in the U.S. or abroad, that involve the Spanish-speaking community.

Programs
Transition Program
This voluntary program for newly enrolled students of color has two goals: first, to help these students develop greater confidence as they make the initial adjustment to life at Milton Academy; and second, to help them identify experiences which will enhance their ability to demonstrate their strengths successfully. Through the Transition Program, we hope new domestic and international students of color will establish a sense of camaraderie and support with each other. We hope that they will also make acquaintances and develop relationships with some returning students and some faculty, so that when school starts they will already know a number of people. The program also familiarizes students with the physical layout of the campus, as well as with the academic expectations at Milton, through sample classes taught by faculty and a daily schedule designed to simulate a regular Milton school day.

Host Family Program
Since 1983, the Host Family Program has helped new boarding students feel more comfortable in their "home away from home." Host families, most often families of day students or nearby boarders, help make the transition easier for new boarding students with efforts ranging from a gift of homemade cookies to an invitation to spend a three-day weekend. Contact between a host family and the hosted student is typically once a month. However, the program is flexible, based on a student's need and what a family is able to provide. Many students have found the program most beneficial during their initial years at Milton, while some students have used the pairing for all of their time at School.

Assembly Program
Milton's weekly Upper School Assembly Program includes a spectrum of presentations to the student body on a variety of topics. Presenters in recent years have included the following: Harvard professors Cornel West, Randall Kennedy and Christopher Edley; authors Gish Jen, James Carroll, Chaim Potok and Ha Jin; musicians Bernice Johnson Regan, Bobby Sanabria, Abdullah Ibraham, and Taiko Drummers; actors Teja Arboleda (a.k.a. Ethnicman) and B.D. Wong; Facing History Speakers Rina Finder, Sonia Weitz, Greg Alan Williams, and Leon Bass and Dr. Maurice Vandepol; psychologists Michael Thompson and Catherine Steiner Adaire; Columbia University professor and hip-hop intellectual Marc Lamont Hill and social commentator actors/musicians Mohammed Bilal and Derrick Ashong.

Community Relations Assembly Program
Special assemblies are held several times each year, focusing on how we respect each other and how we take responsibility for our personal interactions at School. Presenters in recent years have included Felice Yeskel, founder of Class Action; Todd Fry, former Milton teacher and currently at Boston Center for Community and Justice; Peggy Macintosh, director of the Wellesley Center for Research on Women; and Kevin Jennings, executive director of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).