GARDNER, MA -- February 12, 2021 - Mount Wachusett Community College celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a virtual grand opening and ribbon cutting of the International Center for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion.

Joining the celebration was keynote speaker, Asher Hamilton, Student Engagement Coordinator with Cape Cod Community College. They received their MA in Intercultural Communications, emphasizing Women's Health, Feminist Pedagogy and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Youth Identity and Black Feminist thought to round things out. Currently, Hamilton is carrying out extensive research on Micro-Aggressions in academic settings in a post-Trump America and their impact on student performance and identity.

"We owe our students of color an ability to tell their narrative, their story, that presents their full 100 percent self, and also the stories of the communities from which they come," noted Hamilton. "A cultural center drives this sense of identity development and belongingness."

The highlight of the event was the ribbon cutting by MWCC Academic Counselor Shaunti Phillips and her family, children Dontay (9), Sianna (7), Donovan (4), and Syeira (13) and husband Demetrice Phillips.

"The reality is that we have a long way to go, but opportunities like this, where we can come together as a community to truly listen to one another and to hear the experiences and to recognize the importance of an International Center that emphasizes the diversity in our community is a step forward," stated MWCC President, James Vander Hooven. "I am thankful that we are finally to the day of this opening, to have the opportunity for space for students to be able to share their experiences is a step toward the goal of making every inch of the MWCC campus a welcoming space for our students and our community."

The International Center for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion is sponsored by the MWCC Diversity and Inclusion Team, with funding provided by the US Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program (IFLE).