MCC Honors Lowell Community Members at MLK Jr. Event

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words and actions continue to leave a lasting impact upon generations. On Monday, January 20, the Middlesex Community College Foundation and the Living the Dream Partners sponsored the “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve” Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center to honor his legacy.

“The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great American hero whose message of peace, unity and service resonates with the MCC community as we seek to promote learning, growth and engagement as the path to better lives and stronger communities,” said Dr. James C. Mabry, MCC’s President.

The event honored community members who have dedicated their professional and personal lives to supporting citizens of Greater Lowell inspired by Dr. King’s beliefs.

The 2020 Living the Dream Award recipients included Mercy Anampiu, Director of Health Promotion of Lowell Community Health Center; Leslie Rivera, Reengagement Specialist at UTEC, Inc.; Sally Thayer, Nutrition Manager at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell; and the organization History UnErased, represented by Executive Director Deb Fowler.

Anampiu strives to help bring positive changes for those in which she advocates at the Lowell CHC. She believes it is her duty to help others as much as she can, including something as simple – but meaningful – as “putting a smile on someone’s face.”

“If we do not continue the legacy of MLK, then who will?” she said. “The current global environment calls for more supporters of such bravery and resolve. We cannot be bystanders. We have to speak up for what we believe and advocate for our communities. We must be the light in the darkness around the world. MLK’s legacy must live on no matter how small in each facet of our lives.”

Rivera offers guidance and support to youth at UTEC, Inc. Despite threats of poverty, gang involvement and unemployment, she helps to establish important connections and resources that will lead to success.

At the Boys & Girls Club, Thayer fights food insecurity in addition to providing nutrition advice to her students. She is an advocate for equality, believing it is important for everyone to live by Dr. King’s teachings. In her role, she has the opportunity to inspire her students.

“The next generation needs to carry Dr. King’s legacy on to keep his beliefs alive,” she said. “Life is not going to get easier in the future and the country needs to remember his teachings. Youth needs to have it instilled in them so they can carry it forward.”

History UnErased seeks to incorporate the history of LGBT+ into schools’ curriculums and with Fowler at the helm – has expanded outside of Lowell into seven other states and all NYC middle and high schools.

“The compass of the Martin Luther King, Jr. event was a grand reminder that our ‘beloved community’ will thrive when we elevate – and respond to – the talent and wisdom of youth,” Fowler said. “Dr. King’s legacy is a call-to-action to continue his vision for ‘We, the people’ by continuing the struggle for equal access and opportunity to all in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, civic participation and citizenship.”

Reginald Nichols, MCC’s Assistant Director of Human Resources was a special guest emcee at the event, along with Christa Brown.

“As an open-access public institution of higher education, MCC mirrors the life of Dr. King by being a beacon of opportunity for populations of our great commonwealth seeking advancement in their lives through the tool of education,” Nichols said. “While our society has made great progress in the 91 years since Dr. King’s birth, we continue to need people willing to serve the cause to uplift humanity.

“As Dr. King said, ‘Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.’”

The event featured a blessing from Rev. Janine A. Dailey from New Bethel African Methodist Church; welcome speeches from MCC President Mabry, City of Lowell Mayor John J. Leahy and Congresswoman Lori Trahan; and performances from the UMass Lowell Gospel Choir, the house band Red House Collective from Innovation Charter School in Tyngsboro, the Mill Advised Dance Troupe and the Lowell Community Charter Public School (LCCPS) Cambodian Dancers and African Drummers Group.

Girls Incorporated of Lowell crafted the banquet table centerpieces, which included sculptures based on the girls’ modern interpretation of Dr. King’s belief in equality. Students from Lowell Pyne Arts School represented important figures throughout history, including Malala Yousafzai, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Jr., Mother Theresa and Ghandi.

The Change Agent sponsor of the event was Enterprise Bank. Dreamer sponsors included George L. Duncan, Community Teamwork, Inc. and UMass Lowell. The Partner sponsors were Lowell Five Bank, Dr. James C. Mabry, Lowell Sun Charities, Inc., Yun-Ju Choi, Kevin Harkins and the Lura Smith Fund – MCCF.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!