As construction begins for the University’s new parking garage, students and faculty honored the grounds of the soon-to-be-removed African American Cultural Center and the Women’s Center on Tuesday.
The centers have been temporarily relocated to rooms 319, 323 and 325 of Hatcher Hall while the centers’ new, permanent facilities at the bottom level of the parking garage are constructed.
Katrice Albert, vice provost of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach, said the ceremony commemorated those who pushed for the African American Cultural Center’s creation.
“It’s about the legacy of past students and staff who fought to acquire a space for African American students to come together,” Albert said.
The blessing consisted of a libation ceremony, which involves sprinkling water and calling upon ancestors to bless the space by ridding negative spirits and replacing them with positive spirits.
Nicole Moliere, 1991 University alumna, reminisced on the current African American Cultural Center and what it meant to her and the students of the time.
“To us back then, it was a great place for us to convene,” Moliere said. “We needed the African American Cultural Center to recognize we were here.”
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Niya Blair, coordinator of African American Student Affairs, said there are hopes for national projects with the coming of the new center.
“When we have the new center, we hope to host a national conference for the [Association for Black Cultural Centers,]” Blair said.
The original African American Cultural Center was established in 1993 and reflects the concept of the Harambee House, which is “coming together,” according to the African American Cultural Center.
The $1.5 million expansion project is underway and will almost double both centers’ square footage, according to a news release.
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The new African American Cultural Center will have a multipurpose room, a conference room, six offices, an open reception and lounge areas, as well as a library and artifacts room, an open outdoor courtyard, a unisex dressing room, a work room and a kitchenette.
Albert said as the University becomes more modern, updating the centers becomes more necessary.
“Letting go is required,” Albert said. “The time has come for students to experience a better space.”
 
 
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Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]