Professor Howard Notes Inclusive Excellence, Roxbury Main Streets at MLK Breakfast

Wentworth Institute of Technology Professor Ella Howard cited diversity, equity, and inclusion-related work at the university as well as Roxbury Main Street when accepting an award from the Colleges of the Fenway (COF) this week. 

Honored with the 2024 Colleges of the Fenway Martin Luther King Inclusive Service Award, Howard spoke during the 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration, which saw Valerie Ward, MD, MPH, deliver a keynote address. 

Howard’s full remarks are as follows: 

"I am extremely honored to receive this award. I know this is a competitive field because so much great work is happening across the Colleges of the Fenway. I was excited when President Thompson made inclusive excellence the core pillar of Wentworth’s university strategic plan. It has been wonderful to welcome Vice-President Nicole Price and to support her in building a division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for our university. I am privileged to serve on the Board of Roxbury Main Streets, the group supporting Black and brown-owned small businesses in Nubian Square in their struggle against commercial gentrification. This is obviously a very difficult moment for Equity and Inclusion initiatives in higher education nationwide. There is nowhere I would rather be than working in community with everyone in this room to build meaningful partnerships across the Colleges of the Fenway and the City of Boston."  

Professor Howard has taught history at Wentworth since August 2016. She is the author of Homeless: Poverty and Place in Urban America and earned a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University. 

Roxbury Main Streets is a non-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of the Roxbury community through the development and promotion of local small businesses. We strive to create a thriving economic and cultural hub in the area, while also preserving and celebrating its unique history.