Middlesex CC: Leading Together for Racial Equity and Justice

Over the course of three days – Monday, August 29 to Wednesday, August 31 – Middlesex Community College’s Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (CTRHT) hosted a series of events to offer MCC and Greater Lowell community members opportunities to learn about leadership for racial equity and racial healing circles.

“At Middlesex, we are committed to the necessary collaborative and intentional work it takes to build meaningful relationships and partnerships, and to create a racially equitable community,” said Phil Sisson, MCC’s President. “We have the capacity to be a source of knowledge and training for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) that promotes anti-racist and anti-biased practices within our communities. Our collaboration with the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) allowed us to create our Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation in order to learn and lead together with our community, offer space to engage in forward-thinking conversations that lead to long-lasting and relevant action, and cultivate an environment on our campuses that fosters the success of every student who attends the college.”

The featured guest speaker for the August 31 event was Dr. Gail C. Christopher, an award-winning change agent and Executive Director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity (NCHE). Speaking on innovative, transformative leadership development, she weaved together the importance and intersection of community, education, race equity and racial healing. The day started with racial healing circles led by national trainer and facilitator Mee Moua.

“I value MCC’s role in facilitating conversations that foster exactly what Dr. Christopher spoke about today, and that is ‘to create a counterforce to our current societal conditions that separate us, by choosing to come together with empathetic understanding to tell new stories that honor our humanity and make change happen,’” said Susan Levine, Chief Executive Officer of Lowell Community Health Center. “MCC and the CTHRT are doing just that.”

“I was excited to hear Dr. Gail C. Christopher speak on the intersection of community, education and race,” said Mira Bookman, Program Director for Project LEARN. “The first time I ever had a teacher who looked like me was as a junior in college. Now, as a teacher, I realize how important it is to listen more than you speak and reflect intentionally. I am happy to have learned more about ways to promote racial equity in our schools and what it means to lead with empathy.”

"Mill City Grows has a strong interest and desire to emphasize discussions on racial equity and inclusion in our communities,” said Suzzanne Cromwell, Mill City Grows team member. “But we can't have these conversations in a vacuum. The power of exchanging shared experiences and ideas in a group setting is critical as we explore practical applications for change. MCC's powerful discussion with Dr. Gail Christopher and The Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation creates a safe, dynamic space to discuss and address equity and identity on a local, national, and global scale."

MCC’s CTRHT strives to develop a process of reaffirming common humanity and fostering relationships that will bring about positive change for racially equitable and just communities.

On Monday, August 29, community members went on the Lowell Black History Walking Trail and visited the Lowell National Historical Park’s Hidden in Plain Sight exhibit. Events on Tuesday, August 30 included workshops on the value and designing process of racial healing circles.

“The racial healing circle methodology offers a way for us to shift our understanding of human value and reimagine a world without the false belief in the hierarchy of human value,” said Darcy Orellana, MCC’s Executive Director of DEI. “Having the opportunity to bring together MCC students, faculty and staff, and community partners has been a gift. The CTRHT provides the space for all of us to both learn and lead together for truth, racial healing and transformation.”