Introduction

"Students Studying by the Bell Tower," 1970

            In fall 1974, the Society of Afro-American Culture (SAAC) approached NC State University administrators with a request to create a African American Cultural Center. Only four years earlier, African American students began gathering in the basement of the YMCA building, known also the King Religious Center, where they shared poetry, music, and plays. Although this may be considered the first African American Cultural Center on NC State’s campus, it lacked formal recognition from the university and a paid staff. Crossing the Color Line: A Place of Their Own, 1973-1975 explores SAAC’s request for full use of the university Print Shop for the establishment of a permanent African American Cultural Center with a staff, an operating budget, counselors, and ample meeting space for programs that would attract all students. As demonstrated throughout the exhibit, many white students and administrators fought back against the proposed cultural center for various reasons. African American students, however, utilized campus newspapers to express their feelings of neglect and to defend their proposal. Both white and African American students articulated their feelings with great honesty throughout the course of the 1973-1974 academic year.

            A Place of Their Own argues that a race relations workshop at the Quail Roost Conference Center in February 1974 led to a greater understanding of African American students’ concerns and more white support for the proposed Cultural Center. The conference served as a catalyst for the establishment of the cultural center and raised awareness about African American students’ concerns throughout campus. The conference itself would not have been possible without the heated tension that resulted from African Americans students’ continued lobbying for the center throughout the year. African American students declared that a campus cultural center would provide them with a place to better understand and honor their culture while strengthening the African American community on campus.

Visit other Exhibits in Crossing the Color Line.