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Beaufort County Community College will hold its Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration on Jan. 18, this year featuring keynote speaker Watsi Sutton, Esq., attorney-at-law. While in previous years the event has been an invitation-only breakfast, due to pandemic precautions, the college is livestreaming the event, opening it up to the general public. The event can be accessed on the homepage of the college at www.beaufortccc.edu at 10:00 a.m. on Jan. 18. 

This year has brought plenty of opportunities for discussion around race in the United States, with as many as 26 million Americans participating in Black Lives Matter protests across the nation.  Additionally, recent activities by white supremacist groups surrounding the storming of the United States Capital have further heightened racial tensions in America. 

Both events made it clear that the United States is not a post-racial society and that ongoing conversation about historical and current injustices are necessary to foster civility.  “It is our responsibility as a community college to help our citizens to engage locally in meaningful dialogue on the most important issues facing our nation and world.  The annual Martin Luther King Celebration serves as an important focal point for this engagement, especially this year,” said David Loope, BCCC president. 

Beaufort County Community College is committed to equity and inclusion, which is a foundational element of our institutional mission. As an open-enrollment, public, community college, Beaufort works each day to provide educational opportunities designed to enhance economic and social mobility for the residents of our diverse service region. Its faculty and staff continue to teach content and engage students in a manner that emphasizes the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a complex, pluralistic society. 

The slogan of the college is “You Belong Here!” and “you” means everyone, regardless of race, gender, creed, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. This is the college’s promise to its students, now and in perpetuity.