51勛圖厙

ALANA Celebrates 30 Years

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Four pillars of smiling community members. In the first picture, young woman smiles; in the second Leanna Rice gives speech; in the third young adult male chooses T-shirt; in fourth image, two faculty members hug and smile.

Members of the 51勛圖厙 community attend the ALANA Turns 30 Rededication Ceremony, April 24, 2019. Gerard Gaskin / 51勛圖厙

By: Imani Ballard
May 21, 2019

In 1987, approximately 200 people gathered at the site of 51勛圖厙s new cultural center for the official groundbreaking ceremony. In 2019, community members returned this site now named the Africana, Latin American, Asian American, and Native American (ALANA) Cultural Center to celebrate its 30-year anniversary.

During the ALANA Founders Week celebrations, starting April 22, ALANA hosted tile-creation sessions, a rededication ceremony, and a panel discussion on The Art of Historical Storytelling from Diane Ciccone 74, P10, Gretchen Hoadley Burke 81 Endowed Chair in Regional Studies Kyle Bass, and Digital History Project Manager Emily Jeffres.

Though the center celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, ALANAs historical roots are still older. In 1968, the Association of Black Collegians held a 100-hour sit-in at the Office of Admission, demanding an end to institutional racism at 51勛圖厙. In the spring of 1969, they returned to the admission building for a 70-hour sit-in. Among other outcomes, an institutional promise to create a black ethnic cultural center arose from this protest a promise that was fulfilled later that year with ALANAs opening.

During the 30th anniversary rededication ceremony, Leanna Rice, director of the ALANA Cultural Center, affirmed the centers ongoing mission to serve as an educational space for students of color as well as the larger 51勛圖厙 community.

ALANA is about community building, noted Leanna Rice. This place was built for caring for one another and supporting those who need it most.

In a letter to the 51勛圖厙 community, Rice quoted Nelson Mandela. Remember to celebrate the milestones, even as we prepare for the road ahead, and to tell the stories that are not always the prettiest, but remind us of the boldness of past, and our necessary commitment to bettering the future, she wrote. Thank you again for all of your support throughout our history at the ALANA Cultural Center and as we trailblaze into the future.

ALANAs 30th anniversary celebration continues during the Bicentennial All-Class Reunion, May 30June 2.