Our Legacy and Our Vision

Our Legacy

After much campus activism in the late 1960s, members of the university’s Black Student Union proposed the idea of a black cultural center in 1971, but was met with resistance. Still, the students persisted.

Twelve years later, under the leadership of the Black Studies Program, President Robert Dickeson and the Black Student Union opened the Black Cultural Center on February 1st, 1983. In conjunction with Black History Awareness Month, the Center was later named the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center.

President Dickeson shared that this was an idea the University had been thinking about and was pleased to have the dedication. He also mentioned that the Center would be important for the recruitment of minorities.

Neil Williams shared that his primary hope for the center was that it might improve the quality of life for African-American students at UNC.

Richard Kynard shared that it had been a long, hard road and it had took 12 years for their (Black Student Union) dream to come true.

In Robert Dillingham’s speech titled, “The Legacy of Marcus Garvey”, he expressed that Garvey was a misunderstood activist who tried to better the lot of Black people in the U.S. He then quoted Garvey as saying “Men who are earnest are not afraid of consequences”.

Darryl Miller stated that there would be no Black Studies Department or Marcus Garvey Cultural Center without an active Black support network on campus.

Bobby Seale ended the ceremony by talking about Marcus Garvey and his role in representing “black people’s historic resistance to racist oppression” and the importance of centers like The MGCC.

The Marcus Garvey Cultural Center is the first Black Cultural Center to open at a university in Colorado.

“UNC made history that still stands to this day, but it did not happen without struggle, issues and challenges.” – Neil Williams, BA- 83

Our Vision for Students

You’ll explore your intersecting identities, build connections through community, and grow your sense of community-mindedness. You’ll reflect on what impacts your health and wellness, create a plan for personal success, and strengthen your interpersonal and intrapersonal skills along the way.
Education
The MGCC has a priority to create and continue building an environment focused on the academic success of students.
Unity
The MGCC has a priority is to create opportunities for the community to come together to uplift, support, and guide one another with care. Umoja!
Security
MGCC’s security priority is to work towards providing safe, nurturing spaces.
Social Development
The MGCC has a priority to build and maintain relationships through event planning and community outreach. Additionally, we aim to foster safe spaces to engage in critical thinking.
Economics
The MGCC has a priority to educate and support students learning and practice around financial concerns.
Politics
The MGCC has a priority is create opportunities to learn about and engage in the political landscape.

Who was Marcus Garvey?

Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940) was the youngest of eleven children born into a poor Jamaican family. Because of his family’s impoverished state, he became an apprentice to an uncle, a printer, at age fourteen.  On July 15, 1914, Garvey founded the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association). Its motto was “One God! One aim! One destiny!”  Based on the Hampton-Tuskegee model, Garvey laid plans to set up industrial schools in Jamaica but received opposition. Because of their correspondence, Booker T. Washington invited Garvey to America.

He went to Harlem and within a few months enrolled over one thousand people in the UNIA. A few weeks later membership doubled. In 1919 Garvey created thirty branches and claimed two million members.

Garvey was one of the most charismatic Black leaders until Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He established a chain of businesses including factories, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, and laundries. Garvey popularized the “Black Is Beautiful” idea, giving Black Americans a sense of pride and hope.

After many failed attempts, Garvey created a weekly newspaper, the Negro World. Besides English, it was also printed in Spanish and French for Blacks overseas. In keeping with his racial pride, the newspaper refused to carry ads that promoted skin bleaching creams and hair straightening products. Some governments considered the paper so dangerous that having a copy could mean five years in jail. Near the end of the summer of 1919, Garvey had been under surveillance from the FBI and headed a list of eighteen that the government wanted deported.

The government drew up its complaint on January 9, 1922 and three days later issued both subpoenas and a warrant for Garvey’s arrest.  Authorities arrested Garvey on February 20th and charged him with using the mails to defraud and with conspiracy to do the same. The jury found him guilty of conspiracy and sentenced him to the maximum of five years’ imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. President Calvin Coolidge commuted Garvey’s sentence and sent him back to Jamaica as an undesirable alien. Government agents knew that Garvey wanted to become a U.S. citizen and by giving him the undesirable alien status, made it impossible for Garvey to return to this country.

Written by George Junne, Professor and Chair, Africana Studies Department, UNC

Let’s continue building our UNC community together!

If you’re an alum, we invite you to get involved:

  • Nominate outstanding UNC alumni for recognition.

  • Consider speaking at one of our MGCC events.

  • Mentor and advise our students.

  • Volunteer your time to support our programs.

  • Make a donation to help us thrive.