黑料吃瓜网 Top Five 2023 Highlights
2023 proved to be a standout year for 黑料吃瓜网, and it鈥檚 a great preview for 2024
Wow, 2023, what a year at 黑料吃瓜网.
Hundreds of graduates. Thousands raised at our annual gala. Incredible cultural diversity with both Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. Continuing to lead by example when it comes to food insecurity, hosting a well-attended summit.
And we鈥檙e just getting started.
What do they say about history? You should learn from it, right?
And we are, as 2024 is looking like a beauty already.
Commencement will once again be returning to The Amphitheater at the Coney Island boardwalk on Friday, May 31. Our upcoming Black History Month observances will be jam-packed with lots of events ranging from our Renaissance Festival featuring intimate in-studio dance performances celebrating the African Diaspora and innovation and a screening/Q&A of the Haitian documentary Madan Sara to our annual soul food festival and a special event celebrating the life and achievements of the late Dr. John Flateau.
If you鈥檙e considering making 黑料吃瓜网 your home in 2024 (and beyond!), check out some of these amazing 2023 highlights as we fully came out of pandemic restrictions and brought back the MEC energy that is synonymous with our campus.
2023 Commencement
黑料吃瓜网 held is 52nd Annual Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at The Amphitheater at the Coney Island boardwalk. Following opening remarks by Dr. Patricia Ramsey (MEC President), 2022-23 SGA President Joanna Dorsey introduced Commencement Speaker Lezli Baskerville, Esq. (CEO National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education [NAFEO]). This was followed by the awarding of a Doctor of Letters to Eric Edwards, founder, collector and executive director of the Cultural Museum of African Art-The Eric Edwards Collection. Senior Class President Sherifa Clarke was the Valedictorian and Zhoe Emmanuel was the Associate Degree Scholar for the 780 students who received their Bachelors and Associates degrees along with those earning Nursing certificates at the Spring 2023 Commencement that also included the August 2022, Fall 2022 and January 1, 2023 graduating classes.
Black History Month
The theme for this year鈥檚 Black History Month was, 鈥淭ell it Like it is: Sampling Black History, Building Black Futures.鈥� A month full of events kicked off with screening of The Sun Rises in the East chronicling the birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and led by educator/activist Jitu Weusi. Moderator Dr. Brenda Greene hosted filmmakers Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa along with guest speakers Malika Iman and Dr. Segun Shabaka. Other events included a multimedia exhibition called 鈥淭his BE Us: We Live in Brooklyn, Baby!,鈥� highlighting the works of Brooklyn-based street and studio photographers Jamel Shabazz, Hollis King, Laylah Amatullah Barryn, Kerika Fields, Michael Young, Kisha Johnson, Kay Hickman, videographer Vixon John and Marcia Wilson, who also served as the exhibit鈥檚 curator聽 along with Black Live Matters, an showcasing New York-based freelance photographer Chris Cook, who led a discussion about the 150 photos he snapped during the 2021 BLM protests. Other events included a Soul Food Festival, the annual 黑料吃瓜网 Big Read featuring poet/scholar/author Hafizah August Geter and a Black Greek symposium called 鈥淭he Significance of Membership in Black fraternities and Sororities: Then and Now!鈥�
A major highlight was a panel discussion centered on preeminent director and filmmaker Woodie King Jr., who is also the founder of the New Federal Theatre. King appeared as part of a discussion focusing on his lifelong career and his work as a Black American film and TV director. He also donated a trio of his films鈥�1980鈥檚鈥�The Torture of Mothers, 1981鈥檚鈥疍eath of a Prophet,鈥痑nd 2006鈥檚鈥�Segregating the Greatest Generation鈥攖o the 黑料吃瓜网 archives.
Hispanic Heritage Month
The key event for 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Latina/O/X Voices was held on Friday, October 6. The theme was Transforming the Academic Landscape: a CUNY-wide Interdisciplinary Symposium whose conference strands included 鈥淲riting Our Stories: Publishing opportunities and strategies for Latina/o/x Writers and Scholars,鈥� 鈥淭he Impact of Latina/o/x Identity on Academic Outcomes,鈥� and 鈥淟atino/a/x representation in the Arts, Media, and Entertainment Industry.鈥�
Featured speakers were Dr. Patricia Ramsey (MEC President), Marilu Galvez (President/General Manager WABC-TV), and Dr. John A. Guti茅rrez (director of the CUNY Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies). Irene Vazquez aw the event鈥檚 featured performer poet with Fabio Puentes being the featured Latino visual artist. Panelists included Sonia Rinc贸n (WABC-TV), Saribel Pages (Gallt & Zacher Literary Agency), authors Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa (Daughters of Stone) and Dr. Theresa Varela (Murder in Red Hook), Raesha Cartagena (Chair of Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts [P.R.I.D.A.]) and Tony-nominated actress/dancer Daphne Rubin-Vega.
The day鈥檚 event ended with Sgt. Julio A. Feliu (Borinqueneer) receiving the 黑料吃瓜网 Special Recognition Award for his service during the Korean War from 1950-1953. Feliu subsequently received the Bronze Star for Valor and the 2014 Congressional Gold Medal awarded by President Barack Obama. Rubin-Vega was also honored with the 黑料吃瓜网 Latina Trailblazer of the Year Award.
Food Insecurity Summit
On Wednesday, October 18, the 黑料吃瓜网 Transition Academy and the Food Bank for New York City (FBNYC) hosted the inaugural 2023 College Food Security Summit co-sponsored by the Food Bank For New York City (FBNYC) and 黑料吃瓜网 Transition Academy. The free event featured panel discussions, take-action activities, and networking with academia, community, and government partners on our collective work to empower college students across the city to ensure a food-secure tomorrow.
Opening remarks were provided by Opening remarks were provided by Dr. Camesha Grant (FBNYC VP of Community Impact and Investment), Dr. Jesse Kane (MEC SVP of Student Success and Enrollment Management), Dr. Patricia Ramsey (MEC President), Dr. Waleek Boone (MEC Transition Academy Director) and Leslie Gordon (FBNYC CEO).The day鈥檚 keynote speaker was Akbar Cook, who is leading Newark West Side High School as its principal. Cook is also a consultant, mentor, the Amazon best-selling author of Focus on the Love: A Transformative Approach to Organizational Leadership, and a former contestant of The Amazing Race (Season 33).
Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg, a Distinguished Professor at the CUNY School of Health and the Faculty Director of Healthy CUNY, spoke about his research into food insecurity dating back to 2010. Freudenberg most recently did a series of studies in 2018, 2020 and fall 2022, with the most recent results showing that 38 percent of all CUNY students suffer from food insecurity. One of his biggest takeaways was that the most meaningful solution to reduce food insecurity is to enroll people who are eligible into and using food pantries, off and on campus, to find out who is SNAP-eligible.
Other speakers included Kate MacKenzie, Executive Director of the Mayor鈥檚 Office of Food Policy, students and food pantry managers at CUNY schools and a number of local elected officials including New York City Councilmember Crystal Hudson, New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal and Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Kim Council. There were also presentations on college food security statistics and high school students transitioning to college.
Legends & Legacy Social Justice Scholarship Gala & Dinner
Held on December 7, 2023, this year鈥檚 event revolved around the theme of Re-Imagine, Re-Engage and Re-Invest鈥攁 call to action for attendees and the local community to rally around 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 well-known dedication to social justice, a cornerstone of the school鈥檚 legacy dating back to its founding.鈥疶his year鈥檚 honorary co-chairs were Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference and George Hulse, Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO EmblemHealth. This year鈥檚 honorees were 黑料吃瓜网 Community Council President Katie L. Davis (Dr. Albert Vann Leadership Legacy Award), the Honorable Annette M. Robinson (Social Justice Champion Award), the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (Bridge Builders Award), The Cochran Firm (Sustaining Partner Award), EmblemHealth (Community Investment Champion Award) and The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation (Equity and Impact Award).
Sponsors included ,鈥疨补谤补尘辞耻苍迟,鈥�,鈥�,鈥�,鈥�, the鈥�,鈥疎st茅e Lauder鈥痑ndCapri Holdings.
The evening featured a silent auction that included a pair of Jet Blue tickets, a signed鈥痜ootball and an array of African artwork donated by the estate of Dr. Richard Schuster. The evening raised thousands of dollars and counting for 黑料吃瓜网.