Washington, DC, Program Alumnus Omari Allen ('17) Returns to Seaver College to Teach Course on Social Action and Justice

While walking beneath the US Capitol’s rotunda during his sophomore year at Seaver College, Omari Allen understood that he had a greater purpose: to advocate for justice and the dignity of all persons through open discourse. After graduation this calling would lead him to various careers from community organizing to storytelling as a screenwriter—a path he continues while returning as a faculty member at his alma mater. 

This fall Allen returned to Pepperdine University to instruct a course within Seaver College’s Social Action and Justice Colloquium (SAAJ) for first-year students—a class Allen took himself as an undergraduate. Inspired by his own college experiences, Allen’s current curriculum encourages his students to clarify their voice on public matters as he presents topics such as fundamental rights, food systems, and the role of media in shaping social views from a legal perspective. 

“Stepping foot onto campus again feels comfortable. I believe God truly called me back here,” says Allen. “I wanted to return to Pepperdine as an instructor because of how the faith-based environment supports truth seeking.” 

Before earning his JD from Howard University, Allen double-majored in political science and French studies, guided by faculty such as Kelle Marshall, professor of French studies and French studies program coordinator. As an undergraduate, Allen developed a zeal for law and public policy along with a cross-cultural understanding of social movements and human rights within the United States as well as in francophone nations. 

"Omari approached his studies with curiosity and humility,” says Marshall. “He valued all the knowledge afforded to him through his liberal arts education and aimed to put it to use to help make people’s lives better. Seaver’s current SAAJ students are quite fortunate to learn from him.” 

As a student, Allen participated in the Washington DC Internship program as part of his International Programs experience, gaining valuable professional experience through interning full time at the White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. There Allen contributed to facilitating open dialogue between executive administration and the American people. 

“The DC program helped me realize that I have a greater calling, which is to advocate for people and causes I care about, and community members at Pepperdine really supported that,” says Allen. “I would highly recommend Pepperdine’s DC program to any student who is career oriented, especially those interested in the social sciences.”

At Seaver Allen led numerous campus-wide efforts and service projects that upheld creating inclusive communities and supported student flourishing. These included serving within the Student Government Association all four years of his undergraduate studies, during which he was elected class president in 2016. 

Allen also held the spiritual life chair of the Black Student Association, where he served with various student-led ministries. As a graduating senior in 2016, Allen was a Loqui awardee, winning the Bowers, Davis, and Todd Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusive Excellence presented by the Office of Intercultural Affairs. He was recognized for his advancement of institutional diversity and belonging in the Pepperdine community, as well as his commitment to Christian values. 

One of Allen’s most notable initiatives was cofounding the student-led Beloved Community Initiative with fellow former student Isabella Ordaz (’18), which facilitated lectures reflecting the values held by Martin Luther King, Jr., by a variety of speakers and academicians.

Now as a faculty member Allen shares that he is deeply committed to fostering a classroom environment that honors every person as beloved. While introducing his first-year students to legal topics and elements of social sciences, Allen trusts they will channel this education toward further individuation while advocating for causes and communities dear to their hearts. 

“Seeking to understand others while grounding our values in integrity and empathy would change more lives,” says Allen. “May we, together, respond to the call to unity and justice by supporting one another in kindness, humility, and mutual accountability.”