DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa Afro-American Cultural Center, 1968-2009 | The Afro-American Cultural Center Page 13

Transcribe
Translate

University of Iowa Afro-American Cultural Center, 1968-2009

The Afro-American Cultural Center Page 13

The "House" in Retrospect

[photo to right]

In the fall of 1967, Charles Derden, serving as president of the Afro-American Student Association, and several other students initiated a proposal to The University of Iowa Student Senate that would increase Black enrollment at the University. The resolution which included plans for a cultural center, was considered and passed the same year. 

A new breed of young Black men and women entered the University in the fall of 1968; they were called the Martin Luther King Scholars. These brothers and sisters paved the way for many others. It was their desire to preserve the Black culture that allows the Afro-American Cultural Center to survive today. 

A report by the Committee on Human Rights to the University president in 1968 described the need for a Black cultural center. The committee said " a central gathering place would provide a social gathering spot as well as a place for academic and personal assistance. The feeling togetherness created by such a center will help overcome the otherwise foreign element of the unfamiliar environment." 

With widespread from the administration, Faculty Senate, Committee on Human Rights, Afro-American Student Association and Student Senate, the Afro-American Cultural Center was established and opened in the fall of 1968.

Saving...

The "House" in Retrospect [photo to right] In the fall of 1967, Charles Derden, serving as president of the Afro-American Student Association, and several other students initiated a proposal to The University of Iowa Student Senate that would increase Black enrollment at the University. The resolution which included plans for a cultural center, was considered and passed the same year. A new breed of young Black men and women entered the University in the fall of 1968; they were called the Martin Luther King Scholars. These brothers and sisters paved the way for many others. It was their desire to preserve the Black culture that allows the Afro-American Cultural Center to survive today. A report by the Committee on Human Rights to the University president in 1968 described the need for a Black cultural center. The committee said " a central gathering place would provide a social gathering spot as well as a place for academic and personal assistance. The feeling togetherness created by such a center will help overcome the otherwise foreign element of the unfamiliar environment." With widespread from the administration, Faculty Senate, Committee on Human Rights, Afro-American Student Association and Student Senate, the Afro-American Cultural Center was established and opened in the fall of 1968.