Community Collaboration Award: Black Artists of Boston

By CETR
August 8, 2023

The City and Community Engagement (CCE) department aims to foster lively, interconnected, and dynamic networks of individuals and communities, upholding equity and justice as fundamental principles in their collective endeavors. Working in conjunction with other community-focused teams within the University, such as Community-Engaged Teaching and Research (CETR) and Community Service and Civic Engagement (CSCE), CCE seeks to honor and celebrate the partnerships formed between the University and community members.

The Community Collaboration Award recognizes outstanding joint efforts between the University and the community, reflecting transformative partnerships’ values and exemplary practices. The recipients of this award were publicly acknowledged at the “Celebrating Community: An Evening of Gratitude” event on June 15th, 2023.

The recipients of this award are Angel Nieves and Doreen Lee from CSSH and community-based artist Dzidzor Azaglo! They both initiated a collaboration with a service-learning course called “Documenting Fieldwork Narratives” in the spring of 2022. This partnership aimed to recognize and archive Black artists based in Boston, as evidenced by their work showcased here. Following the success of the course, Dzidzor was hired as a staff member for the Reckonings Project at NU, which is funded by a Mellon grant. In spring 2023, another group of students teamed up with community artists for a collaborative project.

Recipients of this award presented the following characteristics:

• A profound dedication to social justice and community impact, evident through strong personal relationships and mutual trust among collaborators.

• A joint initiative between the University and the community aimed at promoting equity and enhancing access to resources, thus improving the quality of life and fostering thriving communities in Northeastern’s neighboring Boston neighborhoods.

• Demonstrable impact on the University community members (students, faculty, and others) and the partner community (organization, neighborhood, and individual community members). The definition of success and impact will have been collaboratively created and designed.

Nomination Process:

The 2023 Community Collaboration Award recipients were selected by a designated group comprising CCE, CETR, and CSCE staff members.

Unveil the full story of our remarkable efforts and groundbreaking initiatives on our web page on the thrilling 2022-2023 year!