Heart of Dragon Country
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DRAG[ON] EXTRAVAGANZA
![DRAG[ON] EXTRAVAGANZA](/media/howardcc/about/leadership/images/annual-report/actor.png)
On October 5, 2023, HCC was excited to host its second annual “Drag[on] Extravaganza,” an evening celebrating all that is drag during LGBTQIA+ History Month. The evening opened with a resource fair and included performances by regional celebrity drag artists, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A, in addition to a meet-and-greet with the performers.
NEW: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY CENTER
Howard Community College’s Social Justice & Equity Center (SJEC) launched in June 2023. With the initiation of the SJEC, HCC has established a dedicated, institutional resource for diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice work to be advanced. The center is conducting campus-wide listening sessions to gain insights, identify priorities, and work to truly co-create the center with HCC students, staff, and faculty. It’s charge is to dig deeper and do substantive work to ensure HCC’s diverse student body is served equitably in every part of the institution to experience true inclusion and belonging.
HOPE NOT HATE
HCC’s Social Justice & Equity Center’s Hope Not Hate is a two-pronged initiative. First, it centers hope as a key element of our work by celebrating pride in our diversity, enabling unity, and creating meaningful connections. Second, we ensure that our work increases awareness and understanding around real issues and challenges, including combating hate in all its forms. In September, the Social Justice and Equity Center partnered with the Jewish Federation of Howard County, the Howard County Office of Human Rights and Equity, and the Howard County Library System to present “An Evening with Matthew Berger” in the Horowitz Center’s Smith Theatre. Matthew Berger is a Senior Advisor for the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. He has been instrumental in the unveiling of the $25 million omnichannel #StandUpToJewishHate Campaign that has launched a movement to use the Blue Square as a unifying symbol of support for Jews in America.
ART GALLERY (NUESTRA HERENCIA)
Presented in partnership with HCC’s Ambiciones program and the HCC Social Justice and Equity Center, “Nuestra Herencia” is a group exhibition featuring the work of Hispanic and Latinx students, faculty, and professional artists. “Nuestra Herencia” (translated to “Our Heritage”) encompasses the diversity, inherent traditions, and emotional expression of the Latinx artists in various mediums. The exhibition is an opportunity for invited artists of Hispanic and Latinx descent to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring their journey through artistic reflection, demonstrating a range of ages and experiences through the work of HCC faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Each unique artwork reflects an introspective journey derived from their cultural duality, struggles, and accomplishments. One of the goals is to expose the idea of visual arts as a career for the Hispanic/Latinx community at HCC.