BHCC Celebrates Black History Month with NPR Journalist Michele Norris
Friday, February 9, 2018
NPR journalist and author of The Grace of Silence Michele Norris spoke at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) on Thursday, February 8, 2018, kicking off the College’s annual Black History Month celebration.
Speaking on “Race and Poverty in the United States,” the former co-host of National Public Radio’s (NPR) newsmagazine All Things Considered has more than two decades of experience presenting leading news and weighing in on American culture. “Black history is America’s history,” said Norris to the Bunker Hill Community College community. “It is important to celebrate it, not just one month a year but all year long.”
Recently named one of “25 Most Influential Black Americans” by Essence magazine, Norris’s discussed her work on The Race Card Project and the motivation behind it. The Race Card Project encourages people to condense their observations and experiences about race and cultural identity into one sentence with only six words. Since 2010, more than 250,000 people from around the world have submitted stories to be featured on the website, TheRaceCardProject.com. In 2014, Norris was honored with for her work on the project with a Peabody Award, one of the most prestigious honors in broadcast journalism.
Focusing on the theme, honoring our shared history, BHCC’s Black History Month celebration will continue with a series of art exhibitions, discussions and live performances throughout the month. These include performances by award-wining poet, song-writer and performer Regie Gibson; an exploration of Folkloric Haitian Dance with Jean Appolon and Company; a live performance by Emmy Award-winning actor Ron Jones; spoken word with artist Hakim Raquib; and a pop-up art show featuring local artist, activist and author Janet Cormier. All events will include remarks by BHCC faculty and audience discussion.
On display at the Library and Learning Commons of BHCC’s Charlestown Campus, Black History Month exhibits include a special display of books that illuminate the history and contribution of abolitionists in Massachusetts, textured paintings by Janet Cormier and a display of published resources detailing the contributions that African American artists have made that helped shape American culture.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information visit bhcc.edu/bhm
Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts, enrolling more than 13,000 students on two campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, three satellite locations and a number of instructional centers throughout the Greater Boston area. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-five percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls nearly 1,000 international students who come from 100 countries and speak more than 75 languages.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).