Red Hawk Spotlight: Darius Edwards, Assistant Director, Office for Social Justice and Diversity

In his role as the assistant director of the Office for Social Justice and Diversity, Darius Edwards supports its mission, vision and values by curating social and educational diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging experiences, developing an intersectional approach to student services and resources, supervising graduate and undergraduate students, and facilitating cross-departmental collaborations.

Edwards has worked at Montclair since August 2022. He earned his bachelor’s in Mass Communication and master’s in Media Management from Virginia State University.

He has more than a decade of experience working in higher education and student affairs. He previously worked at Stockton University for nine years, serving as the inaugural coordinator for Inclusive Communities and Social Justice Education. With experiences in many functional areas including residential life, student involvement, college access and retention, service-learning, conduct, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging – he aims to provide a well-rounded approach to holistic student development.

One of the reasons Montclair appealed to him was its designation as an Hispanic-Serving Institution.

“We’re leaders in student belonging, engagement and resources for students with queer and/or trans identities, amongst many other identities/demographics,” Edwards says. Montclair ranks among the nations top LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities and “a lot of that comes from the work the OSJD does with the LGBTQ+ Center along with amazing campus partners like Residence Life and the Student Health Center.” 

Edwards serves as an advisor to student organization Daughta Speaks, the Black LGBTQ+ Alliance. Daughta Speaks is the only LGBTQ+ student organization at Montclair, and the first and only Black LGBTQ+ Alliance at any New Jersey college or university. He was part of the inaugural cohort of Leadership University at Montclair, an eight-week intensive training program that empowers participants to lead and manage others.

He also is a member of the directorate board of the Pan African Network of ACPA: College Student Educators International, the Board of Directors for the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey and the North Jersey chapter of the VSU Alumni Association.

Beyond work, Edwards describes himself as “a son, grandson, big brother, dog and plant dad, proud two-time HBCU alumnus, South Jersey native with Southern Baptist roots, an avid traveler, ballroom spectator, shower singer, semi extreme couponer and lover of all things culturally Black.”

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