HVCC welcomes Rosalyn D. Elder to campus to present the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture for Black History Month. This annual event is co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Marvin Library and the Student Activities Office.
The 2025 lecture will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4 in the BTC Auditorium. The event is open free to all.
Entrepreneur Rosalyn D. Elder is a registered architect with a passion for the arts, architecture and cities, and history. She is the founder of African American Heritage in Massachusetts, a resource for educators and others interested in Black history. She holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Memphis, a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington, and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard University.
Between 1992 and 1998, Ms. Elder founded and ran Treasured Legacy, an African American cultural boutique located at Copley Place in Boston’s South End. She also co-founded and operated Jamaicaway Books, a multicultural bookstore in Jamaica Plain, MA.
Her research focuses on Black history in Massachusetts, uncovering both well-known and lesser-known stories. Her extensive research covers 742 sites across 141 towns in the state, contributing to her project Exploring the Legacy: People and Places of Significance. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event.
Elder’s topic is “Reclaiming Malcolm X.” This is a concept that refers to revisiting, reinterpreting and understanding Malcolm X’s legacy in a contemporary context. His journey from a life of crime and incarceration to becoming one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights Movement presents a powerful narrative of transformation, resilience and empowerment. The process of reclaiming his legacy is an attempt to bring forth his teachings in ways that resonate with modern struggles, particularly those surrounding race, justice and identity.
Wipe Your Feet Before You Walk All Over Me: Ten Steps to Overcome People-Pleasing
BTC Auditorium
Tuesday, March 25
Noon – 12:50 p.m.
In a recent national survey, almost half of responding adults self-identified as people-pleasers. It’s human nature to occasionally say yes when we’d prefer to say no, and sometimes societal obligations require that we “go along to get along.” But if you habitually prioritize others’ needs, wishes, or happiness over your own, you may indeed be afflicted with the need to please.
Karen DeBonis, educator, recovering people-pleaser, and author of the award-winning memoir GROWTH, knows firsthand about the devastating consequences of “toxic agreeableness.”
Using an interactive format, Karen DeBonis will explore the causes and nature of this self-defeating, learned behavior and will leave participants with ten actionable steps they can practice to develop healthy assertiveness skills.
A VOICES Event Co-Sponsored by the Marvin Library and the Writing Center.
