{"id":22393,"date":"2025-02-10T15:04:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T20:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:30:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:30:04","slug":"necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/","title":{"rendered":"NECC Celebrates Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since 1976, February has been a global celebration of Black History Month. At Northern Essex Community College, students and faculty are devoting time to celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black Americans throughout history. They are hosting a variety of events and programs to honor this important observance and help educate our community.<\/p>\n

The events began on Wednesday, February 5 as the Center for Liberal Arts<\/a> hosted a \u201cUnerasing Black History\u201d discussion presented by History Professor Steve Russell and Global Studies Chair Meredith Gunning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

It was standing-room-only as students, faculty, and staff attended the \u201cUnerasing Black History\u201d discussion.<\/p><\/div>\n

Several of Professor Russell\u2019s and Professor Gunning’s students attended this event, alongside an NECC librarian, a sociology professor, and a psychology professor.<\/p>\n

Professor Russell began the presentation by discussing the importance of understanding \u201chow fundamental African American labor was to building the United States of America\u2019s modern global economic systems,\u201d said Russell. He touched upon New England\u2019s economy in the 18th century, specifically the \u201ctransportation of goods,\u201d such as lumber and agricultural products produced by Black Americans, noting the essential role that played in the American economy.<\/p>\n

A handful of students provided their thoughts on Black Americans’ impact on the U.S. economy, which transitioned into a deeper discussion of the enhancement of the 19th century when the significance of cotton and textile mills also contributed to the economy.<\/p>\n

After questions and answers were exchanged between Russell and students, Professor Gunning took the floor.<\/p>\n

Gunning began her presentation by having students compare and contrast the past to the modern day to comprehend the importance of how to \u201ctackle problems of today [one must understand] past mistakes,\u201d said Gunning.<\/p>\n

Gunning examined the history of literature and thought it would be best to \u201clook in our own backyard\u201d in Boston during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, said Gunning.<\/p>\n

According to Slavery and Remembrance, a website overseen by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, \u201cThe transatlantic slave trade was an oceanic trade in African men, women, and children which lasted from the mid-sixteenth century until the 1860s.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result of doing her own research about the transatlantic slave trade, Gunning wanted to put \u201cnames to faces\u201d and honor a specific and historical slave: Phillis Wheatley, said Gunning. In 1761 Wheatley was kidnapped in Gambia, a country in West Africa. According to the National Women\u2019s History Museum\u2019s website, Wheatley was brought to America and \u201csold to the Wheatley family in Boston, Massachusetts.\u201d During her enslavement under the Wheatley family, she was taught to read, write, and comprehend the English language. A few years later, Wheatley explored the world of poetry and writing, which led her to become \u201cthe first Black African woman to have poetry published in America,\u201d said Gunning.<\/p>\n

For the remainder of the event, students and faculty shared their thoughts on the importance of celebrating Black history and the significance it continues to have on America.<\/p>\n

Wednesday’s event was the first in a series of talks, workshops, and celebrations of Black History this month. For a complete listing, visit the webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since 1976, February has been a global celebration of Black History Month. At Northern Essex Community College, students and faculty are devoting time to celebrating the achievements and contributions of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":22394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12,14,15],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-22393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-featured","category-headlines","tag-black-history-month"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since 1976, February has been a global celebration of Black History Month. At Northern Essex Community College, students and faculty are devoting time to celebrating the achievements and contributions of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NECC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-10T20:04:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T17:30:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-1030x773.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1030\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"773\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mbouse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mbouse\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/\",\"name\":\"NECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-10T20:04:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T17:30:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b067809b6ac2476027bcd15cea07449b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/home\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NECC Celebrates Black History Month\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/\",\"name\":\"NECC News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b067809b6ac2476027bcd15cea07449b\",\"name\":\"mbouse\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9bc5063d1d57b90679530f25125157606b6c761a74463fd22130b67b9567bc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9bc5063d1d57b90679530f25125157606b6c761a74463fd22130b67b9567bc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mbouse\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/mbouse\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News","og_description":"Since 1976, February has been a global celebration of Black History Month. At Northern Essex Community College, students and faculty are devoting time to celebrating the achievements and contributions of […]","og_url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/","og_site_name":"NECC News","article_published_time":"2025-02-10T20:04:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-14T17:30:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1030,"height":773,"url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-1030x773.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"mbouse","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mbouse","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/","name":"NECC Celebrates Black History Month - NECC News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-10T20:04:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-14T17:30:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b067809b6ac2476027bcd15cea07449b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2026\/02\/Black-History-Month-Talk-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/02\/10\/necc-celebrates-black-history-month-3\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NECC Celebrates Black History Month"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/","name":"NECC News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b067809b6ac2476027bcd15cea07449b","name":"mbouse","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9bc5063d1d57b90679530f25125157606b6c761a74463fd22130b67b9567bc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9bc5063d1d57b90679530f25125157606b6c761a74463fd22130b67b9567bc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mbouse"},"url":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/author\/mbouse\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33984,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22393\/revisions\/33984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}