Hudson County Community College Presents a First for NJ Higher Education: ‘Teaching and Learning Symposium on Social Justice in Higher Education’
February 25, 2022
New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver and ACLU Chief Communications Officer Rebecca Lowell Edwards among the esteemed speakers and presenters.
February 25, 2022, Jersey City, NJ – Dr. Paula Roberson, Hudson County Community College’s Founding Director of the HCCC Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, said it all began with the College’s book talk for faculty and staff about Robin DiAngelo’s best seller, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism. That led to a statewide book talk among nine colleges on Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award Winner, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. Those discussions catalyzed Dr. Roberson and the College to prepare and present a symposium for all colleges and universities in New Jersey. “It’s not enough to just talk about something; we determined we needed to do something. This is hard work; it is heart work,” she stated.
The “heart work” resulted in the creation of the HCCC “Teaching and Learning Symposium on Social Justice in Higher Education,” a first for New Jersey higher education. The event will take place Tuesday, March 1 through Friday, March 4, 2022, and will feature 26 virtual sessions presented by a roster of nationally acclaimed civil rights experts, historians, elected officials, educators, attorneys, law enforcement officials, and students. New Jersey Lieutenant Governor, the Honorable Sheila Oliver, will offer welcoming remarks, and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Chief Communications Officer, Rebecca Lowell Edwards, will deliver the keynote speech at the opening session.
Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President, said the symposium is a natural segue from the College’s focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to laying the groundwork for a better understanding of social justice for all.
Pictured from left: Rebecca Lowell Edwards, Chief Communications Officer, American Civil Liberties Union; Lillie Johnson Edwards, Ph.D., Scholar, Public Historian, NJ Amistad Legislation; Maud Dahme, New Jersey Hall of Fame Inductee, former Commissioner, New Jersey State Board of Education, and Holocaust Survivor; and Carmella Glover, President, Diversity Action Alliance and President-Elect, Public Relations Society of America, New York.
“In 2019, we established the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (PACDEI), which is embraced by the entire HCCC community and interwoven into every aspect of our operations,” Dr. Reber stated. The College’s DEI work has been recognized with the 2021 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Northeast Region Equity Award, and the INSIGHT Into Diversity 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, honoring HCCC as one of nine community colleges nationally to be named “Top Colleges for Diversity.”
“Hudson County Community College is deeply engaged in the work of student success, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are very proud to partner in presenting this symposium with Dr. Aaron Fichtner, President of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges; Carol Watchler, Community Outreach Coordinator of Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice; and colleagues from Middlesex College, Raritan Valley Community College, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and Princeton University,” Dr. Reber said.
The symposium opening ceremonies on March 1 will begin at 8:55 a.m., and will feature remarks by Dr. Roberson; Dr. Reber; Lieutenant Governor Oliver; Veronica Gerosimo, HCCC Assistant Dean, Student Life and Leadership; Michael Ferlise, HCCC Professional Association President; Natalie Akel, the College’s Student Poet Laureate; Yeurys Pujols, HCCC Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Ms. Lowell Edwards.
Sessions will explore creating inclusive curricula; fighting bias; knowing one’s rights; the Holocaust; food and culture; art; libraries; Black educators; Asian activism; domestic violence; students’ voices; and much more. Among the presenters are Dr. Lillie J. Edwards, Scholar and Public Historian, Professor Emerita, Drew University; Carmella Glover, President, Diversity Action Alliance, Director of DEI, Arthur W. Page Society, and First Black President-Elect, Public Relations Society of America, NY Chapter; Bakari G. Lee, Esq., Trustee, Hudson County Community College; Karen Galli, Instructor of English, Hudson County Community College; Helen Archontou, MSW, LSW, Chief Executive Officer YWCA of Northern New Jersey, and Adjunct Professor, Montclair State University; and Dr. Andrea Siegel, Coordinator of the Foundation Art Collection, Hudson County Community College.
Dr. Roberson says there are many layers and factors behind racism, and that it is evident across all genres and disciplines. “We all know one faculty member who made a difference in our studies and our lives,” she stated. “With this symposium we want to assist higher education faculty, administrators, and staff in accessing the tools for motivating students to do good, to build greater understanding, and to truly connect us all with one another.”
The complete program of the symposium sessions and presenters is available at https://www.hccc.edu/community/ctli.html. Registration is a must. To register and receive the access information for the virtual sessions, please log onto https://bit.ly/3LRgHK8.