By Norledia Moody
nmoody@email.unc.edu
Ground will soon be broken
for the new free-standing
Sonja Haynes Stone Black
Culture Center, the first building on
campus named solely after an
African-American woman. The event
is scheduled to take place on
Thursday, April 26 at 10 a.m. at the
Bell Tower parking lot. The new
building, which is a 36,000 square
foot, three-story building located on
South Road, will be most convenient
for faculty, staff and especially stu
dents. The new facility will house the
offices of a number of programs and
organizations here on UNC's campus
such as an office suite on the second
floor for the Upward Bound Program
and an office suite on the third floor
for the Institute of African-American
Research. The offices for the UNC
Gospel Choir and Harmonyx, Ebony
Readers Onyx Theater and Black Ink
will also be housed on the third floor
of the building. Some of the other fea
tures of the facility will include a
multi-purpose room with an adjoin
ing dance studio, a 400-seat auditori
um, and an independent conference
room for general use.
The total cost of the building is $9
million, with $6 million coming from
the University's Clayton Grant. The
free-standing Sonja Haynes Stone
Black Culture Center is sure to be a
place of comfort for the entire univer
sity but what was the struggle behind
the now future existence of the free
standing BCC?
The fight started in the early 90's
when the African-American students,
members of the Black Student
Movement
and Dr. Sonja
Haynes Stone
fought for a
Black Cultural
Center so that
contributions
of African-
Americans
would be
a c k n o w 1 -
edged. The
hancellor at
that time, Paul
Hardin,
refused to
acknowledge
the need for a
Black Cultural
Center. The
students
fought harder
and the
protests con
tinued to grow
even after the
death of Dr.
Stone in
August of 1991. The protests for the
Center were nationally recognized
when Spike Lee and members of the
Nation of Islam protested at the Dean
Smith Center. Debates over the pur
pose of the Center caused a lot of con
troversy on campus.
Supporters of the Center argued
that the Center would give every stu
dent the opportunity to learn about
"the missing pages of the American
Experience." Opponents argued that
a free-standing Center would be a
"separatist" institution and would re-
segregate the campus community.
Other opponents argued that the
Center was unnecessary and a waste
of money. Those in support of the
Center continued to fight despite
what the opponents said or thought.
The establishment of the current BCC
took place, while the struggle for a
free-standing BCC continued.
The naming of the Center was also
a major controversy. The students
wanted to name the Center after Dr.
Sonja Haynes Stone, while the admin
istration wanted to name it after a
benefactor, which is the usual proce
dure of naming campus buildings.
Because students continued to fight to
name the Center after Dr. Stone, the
Uruversity refused to actively cam
paign for donations for the free-stand-
ing BCC.
The good news for the BCC came in
1998. That year it was announced that
because of the donation of David
Clayton, an alumnus who left a size
able, yet unspecified amount, the free
standing Black Cultural Center would
be built. Donations were also con
tributed to the effort and today we are
preparing for groundbreaking of the
new Sonja Haynes Stone Black
Cultural Center. The beauty and ele
gance of this building will certainly
mean much more to the University
because of the struggle that took place
in order for this building to stand in
the future.
May 2001
4