DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa Afro-American Cultural Center, 1968-2009 | 2009-09-21 Daily Iowan Article: "Cultural center rededicates itself" Page 2

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

2009-09-21 Daily Iowan Article: "Cultural center rededicates itself" Page 2

DI dailyiowan.com for more news New

Center had rebirth 

[photo]
KC MCGINNIS/THE DAILY IOWAN
Anthony Pulliam directs the Voices of Soul choir during the Afro-American Cultural Center's Gospel Breakfast Celebration at the IMU Main Lounge on Sunday. The breakfast featured inspirational speakers and performances by the choir and soloists. 


CULTURE 
CONTINUED FROM 1A

The celebration came after "months and months" of planning, said Katherine Betts, assistant director of diversity programs, and was financed by $60,000 pool of funds received this year. Each of the cultural centers will have a chance to use the funds over the next three years to host a reunion.
   Despite standing for more than an hour in the buggy lawn last week, the crowd laughed and cheered at the alumni reminiscences and some closed their eyes when Bill Nelson, Office of Student Life Director, read Sally Mason's proclamation officially recognizing the rededication. 
   After tailgating in the afternoon and a late-night “Old Skool vs. New Skool” dance party Sept. 19, the Voices of Soul Inspirational Breakfast concluded the weekend on Sunday morning.
   In addition to several speakers, the breakfast featured musical selections from the historically diverse Voices of Soul choir, a group that used to be entirely African-American.
   For Steve Berry, a UI alumnus, it was the multicultural makeup of the entire weekend that showed something “beautiful.”
   The sense of camaraderie between alumni made the weekend special, Freeman said.
   “A lot of the people I saw this weekend, I hadn’t seen since I left Iowa,” he said. “It was phenomenal. It’s like we never left.”
   But the same sense of unity is lacking somewhat among current African American students, Freeman said, echoing an idea from several speeches given throughout the weekend.
   UI graduate student Alex Lodge agreed, and he hoped the weekend with alumni was [missing word] be a chance for its re-growth.
   “Putting that history out there and celebrating it is really a good starting point to rebuild on the unity that … we so desperately need for the campus as a whole,” Lodge said.
   Lodge, whose solo vocal performance brought the crowd to its feet on Sunday, said the weekend -- the dance party in particular -- gave students an outlet beside Iowa City bars to “cut loose” in.
   “As an African-American here on this campus, you really sometimes lose a sense of culture when you get kind of sucked into that scene,” Lodge said. “[The party] kind of showed a tradition of what may have been lost from things that alumni used to do in the past.”

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DI 21 Sept 09 p 3A

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DI dailyiowan.com for more news New Center had rebirth [photo] KC MCGINNIS/THE DAILY IOWAN Anthony Pulliam directs the Voices of Soul choir during the Afro-American Cultural Center's Gospel Breakfast Celebration at the IMU Main Lounge on Sunday. The breakfast featured inspirational speakers and performances by the choir and soloists. CULTURE CONTINUED FROM 1A The celebration came after "months and months" of planning, said Katherine Betts, assistant director of diversity programs, and was financed by $60,000 pool of funds received this year. Each of the cultural centers will have a chance to use the funds over the next three years to host a reunion. Despite standing for more than an hour in the buggy lawn last week, the crowd laughed and cheered at the alumni reminiscences and some closed their eyes when Bill Nelson, Office of Student Life Director, read Sally Mason's proclamation officially recognizing the rededication. After tailgating in the afternoon and a late-night “Old Skool vs. New Skool” dance party Sept. 19, the Voices of Soul Inspirational Breakfast concluded the weekend on Sunday morning. In addition to several speakers, the breakfast featured musical selections from the historically diverse Voices of Soul choir, a group that used to be entirely African-American. For Steve Berry, a UI alumnus, it was the multicultural makeup of the entire weekend that showed something “beautiful.” The sense of camaraderie between alumni made the weekend special, Freeman said. “A lot of the people I saw this weekend, I hadn’t seen since I left Iowa,” he said. “It was phenomenal. It’s like we never left.” But the same sense of unity is lacking somewhat among current African American students, Freeman said, echoing an idea from several speeches given throughout the weekend. UI graduate student Alex Lodge agreed, and he hoped the weekend with alumni was [missing word] be a chance for its re-growth. “Putting that history out there and celebrating it is really a good starting point to rebuild on the unity that … we so desperately need for the campus as a whole,” Lodge said. Lodge, whose solo vocal performance brought the crowd to its feet on Sunday, said the weekend -- the dance party in particular -- gave students an outlet beside Iowa City bars to “cut loose” in. “As an African-American here on this campus, you really sometimes lose a sense of culture when you get kind of sucked into that scene,” Lodge said. “[The party] kind of showed a tradition of what may have been lost from things that alumni used to do in the past.” [handwritten] DI 21 Sept 09 p 3A