51吃瓜黑料 Receives Insight Into Academia Civic Engagement and Community Service Award
March 16, 2026
Hudson Oral History Project lauded for tracing evolution of Journal Square.
March 16, 2026, Jersey City, NJ 鈥� 51吃瓜黑料 (HCCC) has been honored with Insight Into Academia Magazine鈥檚 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award for the College鈥檚 Hudson Oral History
Project (HOHP). The award celebrates colleges and universities that demonstrate sustained
commitment to serving their communities and advancing the public good.
鈥淲e are honored to receive this award that reflects the College鈥檚 role in the history
of Journal Square, and how residents and businesses witnessed and adapted to changes,鈥�
said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. 鈥淭he Hudson Oral History Project involves
intensive research, interviews, and collaboration. Special thanks to Assistant Professor
Dr. Sean Egan and Associate Professor Antonio Acevedo, who established and oversee
this enriching grant-supported project.鈥�
51吃瓜黑料 (HCCC) is the recipient of Insight Into Academia鈥檚 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award for the Hudson Oral History Project (HOHP). Pictured here: HOHP Co-Directors Antonio Acevedo, Associate Professor of History (rear right), Dr. Sean Egan, Assistant Professor of English (rear center), and program student intern Victoria Lenga (front left), with Jaya Jones (rear left) and Rose Marie Shields (front right), HCCC students who were awarded Microhistories Fellowships.
The College鈥檚 HOHP captures the evolution of Journal Square, documenting stories from a broad range of people whose lives were shaped in significant ways by the area. One of the most diverse regions in the United States, Jersey City鈥檚 Journal Square has seen dramatic economic, residential, and commercial changes in the lives of the project鈥檚 interviewees. The HOHP highlights the joys, heartbreaks, triumphs, and tragedies of those changes 鈥� underscoring the neighborhood鈥檚 distinctive character and the forces that shaped American urban life. Dr. Reber said the project is especially meaningful as the College began in Journal Square with a single, rented building, and its physical growth 鈥� which now includes more than a dozen buildings 鈥� has served as the catalyst for the area鈥檚 revitalization.
The HCCC project includes faculty, student fellows, and community members from all walks of life. The project has provided valuable opportunities for work in the Humanities for HCCC students. Three project interns received training in oral history interviewing and transcript editing. They participated in events including Neighborhood Stories, HCCC 50th Anniversary Kickoff, and Oral History Workshop. Separately, HOHP developed the Microhistories Fellowships, which provide Student Fellows with a stipend, program support, and technical resources to carry out their own oral history projects. The first group of Fellows is focusing on backstories and challenges of Black business owners and spotlights emerging young, Black entrepreneurs; showcasing how literature builds community among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; and producing documentary podcasts featuring interviews with underprivileged citizens and addicts to compassionately depict the dangers in their daily lives.
鈥淗igher education has always been a driving force in societal progress,鈥� said Holly Mendelson, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia. 鈥淭hese institutions remind us that the true measure of higher education lies not only in the degrees awarded, but in the lives they uplift. Their leadership strengthens communities, inspires students, and sets a standard of excellence for all.鈥�
51吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Hudson Oral History Project will be featured in the April 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia Magazine.