On February 29th I was part of a three-person panel at Berkshire Community College (BCC) called Black Excellence and Joy. It was a panel of three alumni who graduated from BCC and had successful careers. We talked about what we had to overcome to get to where we are today. I was moved by the stories told by Rev. Nakeida Moria Bethel-Smith and Raymond Dunham. Each story told of triumph over adversity and the roadblocks life often brings. Some of these roadblocks were just life and some were self-created but through it all they were able to overcome. Part of doing panels like this is the ability to be vulnerable. You must be open about your struggles and life choices that brought you to a crossroad and how you were able to make the right choices to get to where you are now. Each of our stories and journeys were different but the one thing we had in common was BCC.
I do not know where I would be today if there was on BCC. As a young man who had a family to care for, I could not afford to go back to a four-year college or university. I was 25 years old working 2 jobs just to survive. It was having a community college in my county that opened the door of opportunity for me and changed my life. It wasn’t just that I got my nursing degree. The commitment of the college and the commitment of professors to my success gave me a voice. If you were present at this alumni panel, it was the one thing we all had in common. We spoke about the people at BCC who changed our lives and gave us hope.
When we speak about bridging the gap between those who have and those who do not, community colleges like BCC are an important part of that. Whether you are just out of high school or raised a family, schools like BCC offer an affordable opportunity to open doors for you. I never thought I would get a college degree. I thought my life choices blocked that road for me but BCC, as it has done for thousands of graduates, opened the door and I walked through to a world of opportunity I never thought I would see. If you talk to Reverend Bethel-Smith and Raymond, they will probably say the same thing. BCC changed our lives.
If I could go on tour with Reverend Bethel-Smith and Raymond, we would travel across this state and speak on the value of a community college education. The value of giving those who never thought they could go to college a chance to change the trajectory of their lives. It would open doors that they thought were closed. It would give them the opportunity to create a better life for them and their families. How do I know that? I know because Rev. Nakeida Moria Bethel-Smith, Raymond Dunham, and Charles Redd are proof it is possible.
Today I want to celebrate BCC and the community colleges across Massachusetts that are giving those who were told they couldn’t the voice to say, “Yes I can”.
I want to thank Erica Barreto, Student Diversity Programs & Belonging at BCC and Mwila Malama BCC student and future nurse for putting together this amazing event. They are just two examples of the amazing people who work at and are future graduates of our community colleges.
If this sounds like an advertisement for BCC. It is. It is the least I can do for a place that changed and possibly saved my life and they are changing lives every day.
“And So, It Goes” – Linda Ellerbee, Journalist · Author · News Reporter · News Anchor, Retired
Dignity Freedom Fighter 