Roxbury Community College celebrates its 50th anniversary, legacy of community activism
New England Council member, Roxbury Community College celebrated its 50th anniversary at its Golden Jubilee Gala, highlighted by honoree Anita Hill and other important leaders, reflecting on the college’s long history of community activism. The gala closed out three days of festivities, featuring speeches alongside Anita Hill on the college’s history and future from Interim President Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Rep. Ayana Pressley, artists Napoleon Jones-Henderson and Stephen Hamilton, and RCC Board Chair Stephen Tompkins.
Interim President Jackie Jenkins-Scott highlighted the crucial role of community activism in the establishment of RCC, pointing out that a grassroots effort in the late 1960s and early 1970s halted the planned Interstate 95 extension that would have cut through the current location of the college. This significant event in the area’s history is commemorated by a banner on an RCC building, proclaiming, “If it wasn’t for community activism, you’d be on a highway right now.”
The college faced another challenge in 1980 when there was a proposal by the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges to merge RCC with Bunker Hill Community College, as recorded in the RCC archives. The community rallied, demonstrating at the State House to emphasize RCC’s vital role in the neighborhood. They highlighted its status as the “only majority Black higher education institution in Massachusetts” and its distinction for offering the “only fully bilingual program,” underlining the community’s commitment to preserving the college’s unique identity and mission.
“Education is at the center of our challenges,” said Hill. “There are forces, and they are well-funded, who would like to remove our presence in higher education, who are fighting to do so. And they are not only removing our physical presence, they’re attempting to remove our knowledge from campuses of colleges throughout the country.”
The New England Council would like to congratulate Roxbury Community College on its 50th anniversary and commend the school for its long history of community activism.
Read for more from the Boston Herald.