16th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration February 14 features Keynote Speaker Jean Derenoncourt
Feb. 23, 2018 – Massasoit Community College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted the 16th annual celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on February 14, 2018.
The event featured keynote speaker City Councilor at Large Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, a 2015 graduate of Massasoit and the first Haitian-American elected to the Brockton City Council, and Samantha Johnson, former America’s Got Talent performer.
Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and spent his childhood on the Haitian island of Gonave. After the devastating earthquake in 2010, he immigrated to the United States and settled in Brockton. He learned to speak English before enrolling at Massasoit where he earned his associate degree and a certificate in criminal justice. While at Massasoit, he was a Commonwealth Honors Scholar and received the Green Key Award, the school’s highest honor, for his civic engagement and unselfish service both to Massasoit and to the greater community. In 2016, Jean Bradley graduated with distinction from Suffolk University, and in 2017 was elected to the Brockton City Council.
The College’s annual celebration commemorates Dr. King’s legacy by bringing together faculty, staff, students, and the community for discussion and reflection. The celebration kicked off Massasoit’s recognition of Black History Month.
