City Councilor Tito Jackson speaks with Mayor Martin Walsh during the opening of Northeastern Crossing.
(Gazette Photo By Emily Resnevic)
Northeastern University (NU) had a ceremonial opening for Northeastern Crossing, a new community space designed to foster connections between Northeastern University and Boston residents, on Sept. 28.
Northeastern Crossing, which is located at 1175 Tremont St., will offer programming to Boston residents, including English as a Second Language classes, legal counseling by law students around applying for U.S. citizenship and classes that look at the arts as a vehicle to pursue social justice.
Northeastern Crossing will offer Wi-Fi and two multi-media rooms that will be available to the community for small civic and cultural events. The conference room will be available to the community on weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Mayor Martin Walsh, NU President Joseph Aoun, NU Torch Scholar Mabel Gonzalez Nunes and City Councilor Tito Jackson were all in attendance and shared speeches before the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Mayor Walsh thanked the university for providing a resource to the community and said, “making connections is part of what defines [Northeastern].”
Jackson also spoke about the how the new community space will connect the neighborhood.
“We are at the corner of Columbus [Avenue] and Ruggles [Street], but for some people that is the corner of ‘hard times’ and ‘we need help,’” said Jackson.
He added, “It’s our time to not only make a crossing, but to truly build a bridge,” speaking about the connection the community space will have with the neighborhood.
The venue currently is displaying artwork by Ekua Holmes, a Roxbury-native artist, who has been active in several community arts initiatives.