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Hi, I'm Uduak-Joe Ntuk,
President of Long Beach City College board of trustees,
welcoming you to Black History Month.
Celebration of the beautiful struggle,
strives and achievements of the African-American community
in our community and our campus,
from our students to administrators
who've done tremendous work
that should be celebrated and recognized.
It's a recognition of our historical figures,
our leaders of today, and sharing that information
with our leaders tomorrow, our student body.
- My strength and inspiration comes from remembering
the legacy of my ancestors.
Acknowledging what they managed to accomplish
in spite of many, many obstacles.
Regardless of the odds
that were against 'em they persisted.
- I was hired at LBCC when I was 30
and I remember being so excited to have the opportunity
to work at the school where I was a student.
And after I got that call, I called my parents to share
the good news with them,
and they were even more excited than I was.
I am the descendant of slaves.
And slaves were not allowed to read.
Now all these years later, their son is able to become
an associate professor, work as a coordinator,
so I understand the weight of it now.
- When I reflect on Black History Month, I feel proud.
For my parents, my children, and myself, all to be able
to witness our first Black female vice-president,
(indistinct) and an understanding that we are achieving
the leverage we need to make our world a much better place.
Vice president Harris is place in history,
has set the tone for us all, to move forward,
and stop talking the talk and began to walk the walk.
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- For me personally, I have the honor of having
my diploma signed by the first African American trustee,
Pat Lofland in 1999.
And that's hangs on my wall today
and it's something that I treasure
as she was the first African-American elected
to the board and to represent the community
here on our board of trustees.
- To me, Black History Month is the time of year
to celebrate the autumn for guiding
African-American pioneers who shaped American culture.
Through collections of stories, films, songs,
and social media posts, Black History Month is a time
to highlight the milestones reached by Black Americans
and inspire the beautiful minds of our Black youth.
The Black Lives Matter movement, it brought to the forefront
the inequities in the black community.
And I just think we live in a time now
where those inequities they cannot be ignored.
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- What comes to mind as former Congressman John Lewis,
we talk about, see something, say something, do something,
get in good trouble.
That's how we've always made our community
and our college a better place.
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- We celebrate the theme this month, which is Black stories
then, now, and next.
I'm happy to be a part of LBCC's Black stories now and next.
- Today, I live with hopeful expectation
as we continue to break boundaries
and make more excellent Black History.
- If there's one piece of advice I can offer our students,
on the importance of our voice,
it will be the amplify your voice,
every chance that you get.
- If I can share one piece of advice about the Black voice
it's always been the voice of reason,
the voice of consciousness,
and the call for equality and fairness.
And that really represents Black History Month
here at Long Beach City College.
- And that is what Black History Month means to me.
- And this is what Black History Month means to me.
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