History
Introduction
The African-American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois Chicago (AACC) was established after decades of campus and community advocacy and activism. Formally established in 1990-91, the African-American Cultural Center (now Black Cultural Center) was first proposed to University administrators during the 1960’s as a part of the proposal for the creation of a Black Studies program, which was eventually established under the leadership of the late Professor Grace Sims Holt in 1974. While several generations of Dr. Holt’s students in the 1970s and ‘80s pushed for a cultural center for Black students, bold student demonstrations during the 1980s and early ‘90s provided the necessary pressure to further an agenda at UIC that had been forming among students, staff, and faculty for at least 30 years.
objectives
As outlined in a 1989 proposal prepared by UIC’s Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Blacks, the goals of an African American Cultural Center were many:
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Honoring its founding objectives, today’s Black Cultural Center serves as a space of student belonging at UIC and as a catalyst for activism, artistry, and scholarly analysis of Black diaspora experiences and cultures.
Our Unique Story
1960
The Jazz Club, an undergraduate student organization formed by student and future AACC director Philip M. Royster, is the first known organization at the University of Illinois at Navy Pier to foster the appreciation and study of African American culture.
1970
African American faculty and students propose the development of a Black cultural center Chancellor Norman Parker.
Summer 1989
Dr. Grace S. Holt calls on Patrick Riley and Bridgett Harris, President and Vice President, respectively, of Black Student Organization for Communication, to initiate student involvement in the process of establishing an African American Cultural Center.
January 1990
The first African American Cultural Center is located in cramped offices at 322 Green Street, an off-campus location.
Frank Jones is named the first Interim Director of the African American Cultural Center
Summer 1990
Sonetta Jackson is appointed Interim Director.
November 1990
A coalition of Black, Latino, white and Palestinian student leaders stage a sit-in in the offices of UIC Interim Chancellor, James Stukel. They present him with a list of twenty-three demands, including the permanent relocation of the African American Cultural Center and the appointment of a permanent Director of the AACC. They also demand increased space and funding for the Latino Cultural Center, the establishment of an Office of Women’s Services and the creation of a Middle Eastern Studies Program.
Fall 1990
Fall 1990
UIC’s campus experiences a series of racial incidents including physical assaults of Black students, the distribution of anti-Black and anti-Semitic literature, and the harassment of Black students in residence halls.
December 1990
December 4, 1990
A coalition of UIC students held a 20-hour sit in on the 28th floor of University Hall and a silent “stand-in” at a faculty Christmas party in protest of Interim Chancellor Stukel’s unsatisfactory response to the list of 23 student demands.
In solidarity, nearly 500 Black and Latino University of students at Illinois Urbana Champaign camp out on the lawn of University President Stanley Ikenberry’s home in Urbana.
Our unique story pt 2
January 1991
Harvette Grey is appointed Interim Director.
April 1991
In response to student demands, the AACC moves to a renovated and larger space in Lecture Center E-2 in the center of East Campus, a temporary move on the way to relocation to its future home in Addams Hall.
1991
August 1991
Dr. Philip M. Royster becomes the first permanent Director of the African American Cultural Center and is appointed Professor in the departments of African American Studies and English. During his tenure as Director, Dr. Royster’s leadership focused on connecting artists from Chicago’s Black arts community to the Center’s mission of exploring and promoting African and diasporic creative and cultural traditions.
our unique story pt. 3
January 1994
The AACC moves to its current location, 2nd Floor of Addams Hall
March 2011
After nearly 20 years of innovative arts and scholarly programming at the African American Cultural Center, Dr. Phil Royster retires from UIC.
July 2011
July 2011
Dr. Lori Barcliff Baptista becomes the second Director of the African American Cultural Center. In her 7 years as Director, Dr. Baptista expanded the scope of the Center’s work by mapping arts programming and historical exhibits to IL K-12 learning standards. Through dynamic and engaged programming, she deepened connections between the Center and Chicago’s arts and educational communities.
Cyn
2018-2019
Dr. Cynthia Blair, UIC Associate Professor in the Departments of Black Studies and History, serves as Interim Director of the African American Cultural Center.
the rest odfthe story
August 2019
Dr. Blair is appointed as Director of the African American Cultural Center. She expands programming to enhance Black student belonging on campus, while furthering the joint missions of promoting social justice activism and exploring African diasporic cultures and histories that have always been at the heart of the African American Cultural Center.
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Fall 2021
The AACC marked its 30th anniversary by commissioning a 3-D mural by Chicago-based artist Damon Lamar Reed. The mural, titled Black Mosaic, celebrates the cultural diversity within the Black community on campus. This mural is on display in the Center’s student lounge and library.
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August 2023
The African American Cultural Center officially changes its name to Black Cultural Center to reflect and embrace the rich diversity of UIC’s Black community.