Dr. Brenda M. Greene Receives Plaque from Scholarship Group

Brenda M. Greene, Chair of the English Department and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature at MEC, was honored at the 45th Anniversary Celebration of the Brooklyn Oldtimers Foundation Inc. on Sunday, December 10, 2017. The event was held at Antun’s Catering in Queens.

Dr. Greene received a plaque in recognition of her distinguished and sustained leadership of the English Department and the renowned Center for Black Literature, founded in 2003.

The Brooklyn Oldtimers Foundation Inc. (BOF) is a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to college-bound high school students from participating Central Brooklyn High Schools. Founded in 1972, the foundation’s mission is supported exclusively through fundraising activities by the BOF membership and by donations.

“The award is very meaningful because the work they’re doing is an extension of my life’s work as an educator and as someone who creates opportunities for youth to achieve their potential,” Dr. Greene said in an interview on Monday.

This year, The Center for Black Literature continued its successful Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature (ROLL) program at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School and the High School for Global Citizenship. The program uses the literary arts to improve literacy, foster creativity, promote self-expression and self-esteem and celebrate diversity. Scholars in the project participated in one of several workshops: Dramatic writing Workshop, Creative Writing or Using Lyrics and Letters to finish the open ended quote of “They Say Black Is…”

The premise of the ROLL Program is that literature should be integrated into the English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum in creative ways that may include drama, poetry, and the spoken word. 

The Center for Black Literature was created to institutionalize the National Black Writers Conference and to provide a forum to expand, broaden and enrich the general public’s knowledge of and appreciation for the value of Black literature. 

The National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) is one of the center’s signature events. The 14th NBWC will be held March 22-25, 2018.  The theme is “Gathering at the Waters: Healing, Legacy, and Activism in Black Literature.”