Today, I had the opportunity to visit the Sonya Haynes Stone Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, the African American Cultural Center at NC State, and the Hayti Center. While I had been there before, today I took a variety of young, gifted black minds who participated in discussions, toured the depth of these spaces, and reflected on their work.
In it all, I realized how much all of these spaces were built out of demand to house and showcase Black cultural and historical traditions. In some cases, Black people were striving to salvage what had been torn apart as in the case of the Hayti Center. I watched my students try to make sense of this...but I too was trying to make sense of the depth of the work that was done so that we could congregate, learn, remember, and work.
What is saddening is too few of us see our history, our traditions, and our intellectual pursuits as something of merit and worth. And moreover, we are not supporters of those things which seek to be keepers of our knowledge. Whether it is our museums, our schools, our cultural centers, or our non-profit organizations, we have not been good stewards of patronizing and supporting things that were built by Black hands. I think it is a problem that people marched, challenged administrations, took broken pieces and built a variety of centers that seek to explore Black culture.
And today we live in a place where so many take it for granted...and what's worse...too many don't care...and the thing about it all is that you can't prepare for a future without knowledge of your past. There must not only be an understanding of one's self, but there must also be an appreciation.
Today, I am thinking about the many people who contributed to my life, as well as the many people who shall come after me. My work leads me to believe the people I see everyday are priceless...and therefore the mission of this center and the centers around me are priceless as well!
The work of The Stone Center, The NC State African American Center, The Mary Lou, and The Hayti Center are priceless!
