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Around Campus

Remembering the beginning

As the center continues to celebrate the building’s 10-year anniversary, key contributors to its construction took a moment to look back….

Stone Center
The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Long before a center for black culture, arts and history existed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Precious Stone remembers hearing her mother, Sonja Haynes Stone, talk frequently about the need for one.

The beloved faculty member never saw the three-story building on Bell Tower Drive that bears her name. The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History opened in August 2004 — 13 years after Stone’s untimely passing and after many seasons of debates, rallies and controversy about whether a free-standing center was needed. (The building replaced the 900-square foot Black Cultural Center that had been housed in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union since 1988.)

A decade later, the free-standing building, built largely from private gifts, continues to serve as an important site for the critical examination of African American and diaspora cultures, providing scholarly and arts programming that is both timely and informative.

For example, the Sonja Haynes Stone Memorial lecture will be held Thursday night in the Stone Center Multipurpose Room; Assistant U.S. Attorney General Karol Mason, a Carolina graduate and former trustee, will be the speaker.

“The Stone Center building was important then because its supporters knew the contributions of Blacks to the State of North Carolina and to the United States deserved acknowledgement,’’ said Precious Stone, who earned her master’s degree in folklore from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1990.  “Now, 10 years later … what the center offers and what the center represents continue to make it relevant to students and the entire community.”

As the center continues to celebrate the building’s 10-year anniversary, key contributors to its construction took a moment to look back….

Harold Woodard, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences

Woodard worked for the Office of Student Academic Counseling when the Stone Center opened in 2004. He supported student efforts for a free-standing center and served on a task force that ultimately recommended supporting the construction and naming of the Center.

Why was having the Stone Center building important then?

“After Dr. Stone’s death, many of her former students, colleagues and others believed strongly that it was extremely important for the university to memorialize her in a manner that recognized fully her contributions and overall impact on the university community. When the advocacy for a free-standing building began, there was no building on UNC’s campus that was named for an African American. The Monogram Building that housed the Office of Undergraduate Admissions was not renamed Jackson Hall (in honor of Professors Blyden and Roberta Jackson) until after advocates noted this lack of recognition.

Why is having the Stone Center building important now — 10 years later?

“Today, one only needs to review the programs and accomplishments made by the staff of the Stone Center over the last 10 years to see how well it has become an integral part of the university’s mission ‘…to serve as a center for research, scholarship and creativity and to teach a diverse community of undergraduate, graduate and professional students to become the next generation of leaders.’”

James Moeser, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor emeritus

After former Chancellor Michael Hooker made the decision to allocate a large gift to the construction of the Center, Chancellor Moeser was responsible for many other important choices, including the design and location of the building. He also led the celebration when the Stone Center opened.

Why was having the Stone Center building important then?

“The creation of the Stone Center was essential to sending a strong message about UNC’s commitment to diversity. After the prolonged controversy of the 1990s, this was a chance for a new beginning and an end to old hostilities.”

Why is having the Stone Center building important now— 10 years later?

It has become what we envisioned – a vibrant campus center. The programs (not the building) are what really matter.”

Bobby Stone-El, Stone Center Advisory Board Chair

Bobby Stone-El and his sister spoke at a widely attended Smith Center rally in support of the free-standing center. He attended the opening of the center in 2004 with family members from Maryland, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Alabama and New York.

Why was having the Stone Center building important then?

“To many people the Stone Center represented a person that gave so much to them and asked so little in return. It is hard to compensate a person like that. … Thus it seemed fitting to honor the legacy of Dr. Stone, and others like her, who inspired the minds, souls and spirits of those they touched. With all the contributions and sacrifices that people of African descent made to the State of North Carolina and to the country, having a free-standing Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center at UNC was the right thing to fight for and ultimately bring into being.”

Why is having the Stone Center building important now — 10 years later?

“’Now’ is definitely the operative word. Now, with so much going on in and outside of America, we need the Sonja Haynes Stone Center. It is important because a building generally houses the spirit that brought it into existence. That spirit of a progressive, informed community coupled with a spirit of scholarship in the field of African, African American and African Diaspora studies is necessary for inspiring the minds of coming generations so that they can participate actively in solving the problems of the day. Ignorance is our greatest foe and no branch of human inquiry should be disregarded. Therefore, the Stone Center will have to take a leadership role in offering solutions to the challenges our current global generation faces. The Stone Center building in truth is much more than a building, it is a node on a global network of community, education and excellence.”

 

Sibby Anderson Thompkins, Ph.D., Director of Postdoctoral Affairs, Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity

Serving as president of the Black Student Movement in 1985-86, Thompkins worked with other student leaders and senior administrators on the development of a proposal and vision for a Black Cultural Center. In 1989, she served as the first graduate student assistant for the Center.

Why was having the Stone Center building important then?

“Isolation, marginalization, and lack of a place for and about us. … As students, we proposed the establishment of the Black Cultural Center for many reasons: to attract and increase the number of black students, faculty and administrators at UNC, to help support and retain them as well. We envisioned the BCC as an important element of efforts to improve the campus climate, to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus. And we wanted to have a space for educational and cultural programs, art exhibits, performances, meetings and receptions.”

Why is having the Stone Center building important now — 10 years later?

“I can honestly say that, in many ways, the Stone Center has surpassed many of my original hopes and dreams. Today, the center is a vibrant component of UNC’s campus. Simultaneously, the center reflects the rich heritage of the African American experience and fosters intellectual engagement through classes held at the center and through the center’s lecturers, seminars and film series.

“… In an era that is often referenced as ‘post-racial,’  for me, the center is the proverbial watchtower — both a reminder of our history, contributions and struggles as Black, African American people here at UNC… and a lookout, tasked to keep watch to ensure the future is sound.”

Joseph Jordan, Stone Center Director

Jordan worked with development officers, University administrators and alumni to help raise the final donations needed to complete the building. He also worked with architects to determine the final configuration of the Center.

Why was having the Stone Center building important then?

“It was one of the University’s most important decisions because it situated UNC-Chapel Hill as one of the most forward-thinking higher education institutions in the U.S. It was one of the few universities that had invested in a center that emphasizes the importance of Black cultures, histories and arts in the broader narrative of U.S. and diaspora history.”

Why is having the Stone Center building important now — 10 years later?

“The Stone Center has and continues to offer a physical and intellectual space where critical dialogue about important issues takes place. Whether we focus on the material conditions of Black people in the U.S. and the diaspora, or whether we are examining the finer points of the performance and visual art traditions of African Americans, the Stone Center is one of the few places on campus where these concerns are addressed every single day of the week. Beyond this, the Stone Center has become an integral part of the everyday life of the campus as a place where classes meet, campus-wide programming is welcomed, and serious students can take advantage of Library services and fellowship opportunities. We are still important because we are fulfilling, and in some cases surpassing, many of the expectations set for us over 20 years ago.”