Nearly three dozen Northern Essex Community College administrators, faculty, adjunct faculty, advisors, IT staff, administrative support, and students attended the recent 2014 National Race Amity Conference held in Norwood.

NECC had the highest attendance of any college with 29 participants from every area of the college.

They had the opportunity to attend the Medal of Honor ceremony and met Dolores Huerta, who was the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union with Caesar Chavez as well as a 2012 recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom. They also met the daughter of Viola Liuzzo, (awarded posthumously) who was a member of the Detroit NAACP and a Civil Rights martyr slain during the Selma to Montgomery March.

The National Race Amity Conference offers participants positive, focused opportunities for intimate discussions, interactive panels, and informative sessions on a variety of topics central to the main theme of race amity in the United States.

Race Amity works to overcome racial prejudice through association, amity, and collaboration.

NECC participants included:

Maria Gonzalez, Fiona Edwards, Adam Cutler, Ana Fraden, Candita Rentas, Lisette Espinoza, Trish Schade, Joshua Abreu, Marcy Yeager, Brenda Goodrum, Melba Acevedo, Joanna Fortna, Cara Forcino, Kirsten Kortz, Grace Young, Barbara Stachniewicz, Elizabeth Casanave, Kassie Rubico, Mario Espinosa, Sharon McManus, Ramon Suero, Patricia Portanova, Virginia Ducap-Laguerre, and Amber Hernandez.