Plough Quarterly announced the first annual Rhina P. Espaillat Poetry Award in honor of the achievements of the Dominican-American poet and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) Distinguished Artist and Scholar in Residence. Plough Quarterly is an award-winning international magazine of faith, culture, and society.

Bunker Hill Community College | Office of the President

Dear BHCC Community,

Our nation observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 18 in the aftermath of an insurrection in the Capitol that threatens our democracy. The presence of white extremists and their violent acts make it clear that the movement led by Dr. King to find equality and opportunity for all is far from complete. On this commemorative day, in the spirit of Dr. King’s work, I invite all of us to reflect on our own efforts in lifting up our Black communities and our communities of color, in recognizing the cultural wealth that our students and employees bring to our institution, and in envisioning a world where Dr. King’s vision of social and economic equity can come about.

Bunker Hill Community College | Office of the President

Dear BHCC Community,

On Wednesday, our nation experienced an unimaginable insurrection during the final, and normally ceremonial, phase of our presidential election. The incursion into the Capitol Building and the disruption of the certification of electoral votes was a direct challenge to our democracy. It breached the peaceful transition of power, a hallmark of our republic and a beacon of hope for so many around the world aspiring to democracy.

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) was awarded $250,000 from the City of Somerville’s Job Creation and Retention Trust Board. The grant project, entitled SELL –Somerville English Language Learners – is shared with employer partner East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS), the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), and The Welcome Project (TWP). The funds will provide no-cost English as a Second Language classes and customer service training to low-income Somerville residents through June 2021. To learn more, visit https://www.bhcc.edu/somerville-esol/

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) Learn and Earn Internship Coordinator Katie Colello accepted the Strong Women in Action (SWIA) Spotlight Award on behalf of the College’s Learn and Earn program and the BHCC Foundation at the SWIA Annual Gala, held virtually on November 13, 2020. SWIA is dedicated to building a strong and effective network of partners and aims to empower families and break the cycle of family poverty in Massachusetts by promoting pathways to economic independence.

As part of a Veterans Day series on supporting veterans, the American Council on Education (ACE) recognized the work of the Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) Veterans Center in ensuring a smooth transition to college for student-veterans, active duty military, Guard/Reservists, and their eligible dependents. Over the past decade, BHCC’s Veterans Center has supported nearly 5,000 student-veterans in achieving their education goals, with nearly half transferring to four-year institutions.

Bunker Hill Community College | Office of the President

Dear Members of the College Community,

As I write you this morning, yesterday’s Presidential Election shows Biden-Harris at 238 electoral votes, Trump-Pence at 213, with a small number of states still tabulating. We do not currently have a definitive winner of the contest.  The final accounting and possible legal challenges might extend this uncertainty for a week or more.

Bunker Hill Community College | Office of the President

Dear BHCC Community,

As I am sure you know, tomorrow, November 3, is Election Day in the United States.  In the 232 years, since we elected the first U.S. President in 1788, we have held 58 elections, through a Civil War, two World Wars, and many other crises.  All of these elections are examples of a core principle of democracy: the peaceful transfer of power.

Bunker Hill Community College | Office of the President

In June 2020, the Mayor of Boston declared racism as a public health crisis and began implementing strategies to mitigate its damaging effects. Shortly after, the cities of Somerville, Revere, Everett, and Chelsea joined this declaration. In September, amid growing evidence, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley challenged the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to acknowledge the role of racism in precipitating the current deep public health crisis.

On July 22, 2020, Bunker Hill Community College President Pam Eddinger, along with Roxbury Community College President Valerie Roberson, joined the Boston Globe’s Marcela García for a Globe Op-Talk titled, “Community Colleges in Crisis: How COVID-19 & race are reshaping higher education.”

Dear College Community,

I am writing today with sorrow and anger, as our nation mourns yet another senseless death in the tragedy of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. The oppression and pain of systemic racism, unrelieved by the imperceptible progress towards equal justice and social equity, has boiled over in many communities across the nation. Marches and demonstrations of solidarity are happening in cities and towns, including our community of Greater Boston. The oppression and heartache are only compounded by the miseries of the COVID-19 outbreak, which disproportionately affects people of color, and magnifies the inequities in the communities served by the College.