MCC Students Seek Justice & Equality in NYC

When Dr. Jennifer Bauer, Middlesex Community College’s Chair of the Communication Department and Associate Professor of Communication, was approached to lead the Interdisciplinary Studies course 140 - LGBTQ+ History in NYC, she pounced at the opportunity.

“I never took a course like this in college,” Bauer said. “I never had the opportunity to see people like me front and center. Not only featured, but legitimized and celebrated. To be able to bring that to my students is really powerful.”

The LGBTQ+ History in NYC course is a three-day experiential learning travel seminar that takes students to New York City over spring break every March. For two years now, Bauer has been in charge of planning the class. Last year, Kirsten Morrow, MCC’s Coordinator of Student Engagement and Retention, was approached by the administration to help support the trip through the Office of Student Engagement.

“It’s a great example of how we can use the integrated learning model with co-curricular activities, along with academics to support learning outside the classroom,” Morrow said.

Prior to leaving, students complete a series of assignments to prepare themselves for the trip.

“They learn about some of the pioneers in the LGBTQ+ history movement, like Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson,” Bauer said. “We learn about Stonewall, they listen to archival footage, listen to podcasts, they read some primary source documents and articles, and then they do a reflection on each piece – what struck them, what they didn’t know, what they were surprised to find out, and then they follow it up with any questions they might have.”

During their three-day visit, students go see a Broadway show – they saw Kinky Boots in 2018 and 2019 – visit an art museum that features LGBTQ+ artists, receive a guided tour of the Village to learn about the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and then tour Harlem so they can learn how the Harlem Renaissance intersects with the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

“I think it’s really important to show that intersectionality and to also underscore the fact that a lot of the pioneers – much like the civil rights movement and almost any movement for justice and equality – have often been Black people, people of color and indigenous people, and that they tend not to get the same credit as their white counterparts do,” Bauer said. “I find it really important – especially given the mission of equity here at the college that we are trying to strive toward – that we center their experiences and contributions.”

Morrow – now a veteran trip leader – was shocked by how much history the students learn.

“There were things I didn’t know about LGBTQ+ history of New York, even though I’ve been out for a very long time,” Morrow said. “While it was a learning experience for me, it was amazing to be able to experience it through our students’ eyes as well.”

She sees this class as an opportunity for all students to expand their worldview through the power of education.

“I firmly believe that a liberal arts education – and education overall – is about expanding a person’s world view,” Morrow said. “One of my biggest goals and why I’m so excited to be involved with this class is around that expansion of the world outside of what a student’s individual experience may be.”

Bauer feels like this class is a step in the right direction and hopes to see more students – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity – participate.

“I think it’s so important to have a course like this where people can see themselves represented, and I think it’s equally important for folks who identify as cis or straight to take this class,” Bauer said. “Just because you are not from a specific marginalized group doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know that history.

“It’s equally important and I think it helps you understand the world, become more empathetic, and really be able to better support people who aren’t necessarily like you and have been historically marginalized.”

Although the course did not happen in the spring 2020 semester because of COVID-19, Bauer and Morrow are looking forward to a time when they will be able to bring back the class and travel to NYC with students.

MCC’s Fall semester starts on September 9 and features enhanced online options. To register, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434.

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