Sonja Haynes Stone’s legacy lives on at Stone Center

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History aims to raise awareness of and appreciation for Black culture as one of the preeminent sites in the nation for the critical analysis of African and African American diaspora culture.

Founded in 1988, the Black Cultural Center was renamed to honor Stone in 1991 and opened as a freestanding center in 2004. Stone led Carolina’s African and Afro-American studies curriculum from 1974 to 1979 and served as the adviser to the Black Student Moment for several years.

Recently, the center installed a mural of Stone to celebrate over 20 years of a freestanding center. LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, director of the Stone Center, spoke with The Well about what’s next for the center and how the space honors Stone’s legacy.

Why is the mission of the Stone Center so important? How do you accomplish it?  

Our mission is to encourage and support the critical examination of all dimensions of African American and African diaspora cultures through sustained and open discussion, dialogue and debate. We typically have 10 to 15 programs running throughout the year. These include the Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film and signature lectures such as the Stone Memorial Lecture in November and the Genna Rae McNeil Black History Month Lecture in February. We also host multiple exhibits in the Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum, and research programs such as the Moore Undergraduate Apprentice Program. People can learn more about the message of the center’s work through our podcast, Stone Written.

Dr Stone’s children, Precious Stone and Robert Stone Jr., attended the mural reveal that was held in December. (Submitted photo/Cammel Hurse)

What are you looking forward to accomplishing next?  

To ensure that the Stone Center’s cutting-edge and inspirational work will be sustainable in perpetuity. I hope we will become a globally recognized research center that people will see as a beacon of digital equity, innovation and community engagement, rooted in the spirit of educational transformation.

What keeps you passionate about the work of the Stone Center? 

Our community makes this work so rewarding. Our students can find a home here. Our alumni, who embraced activism while they were students and supported a movement for the creation of the Stone Center building, continue to champion our programs and initiatives. And community members from Chapel Hill and Durham attend our events and actively support us.

Talk about the mural that was recently installed.

I love having a representation of Dr. Stone here in our physical space. Anyone visiting the Stone Center will be able to see the mural right when they walk in. The artist, Angelika Wallace-Whitfield, did a wonderful job. I am really proud of the story this mural tells. Her family told us that she loved floral prints and bright colors. Former colleagues shared that her smile was infectious, and alumni recounted how her signature afro hairstyle was revered! She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, one of the four historically Black sororities. The mural’s use of bold colors and the placement of her hair and smile and gaze are all homages to Dr. Stone the person.

How does the Stone Center honor her legacy? 

We hope to continue the programs that were important to her, like Communiversity Youth Program, which provides cultural enrichment and educational opportunities to Chapel Hill students in grades K-8. We want to not only do work in research and scholarship but to continue our work in community outreach, arts and culture — which are the principles she defended.

We want people to see themselves in the work we do, and to leave inspired, informed and empowered to gain a deeper understanding of Black history and culture.