Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History facts for kids
The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History started as the Black Cultural Center on July 1, 1988. It was created at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). This center helps people learn about Black culture and history.
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Leaders of the Stone Center
The center has had several important leaders since it began:
- Margo Crawford (1988 - 1994)
- Dr. Gerald Horne (1996 - 1999)
- Mr. Harry Amana (1999 - 2001, Interim)
- Dr. Joseph F. Jordan (2001 - 2022)
- Dr. LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant (2023–Present)
How the Center Started and Got Its Name
The first director, Margo Crawford, said the center's main goal was to support Black writing and art. It also aimed to help everyone understand the many different cultures at the university.
In 1991, students worked hard to convince the UNC leaders to change the center's name. They wanted to honor Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone. She was a professor of Afro-American studies who passed away on August 10, 1991, at age 51. Dr. Stone had led the Afro-American Studies program from 1974 to 1979. She also advised the Black Student Movement from 1974 to 1980. This student group later pushed for the center to be named after her.
Student Protests for the Center: 1991–1992
From the very beginning, the Black Cultural Center faced some challenges. Soon after it was created, a university leader named John Pope said that if Black students wanted a Black Cultural Center, maybe they should go to a Black university. The student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, called his comment "appalling." Students were very interested in having a Black Cultural Center. The effort to get a separate building for the center became the biggest student protest at UNC since the Vietnam War.
On Tuesday, March 17, 1992, about 100 students gathered at South Building. This is where UNC's main offices are. They wanted answers from Chancellor Paul Hardin III about three important requests:
- Higher pay for UNC's housekeepers.
- A separate building for the Black Cultural Center.
- A special teaching position named after Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone.
Since it started almost four years earlier, the Black Cultural Center was in a small, 900-square-foot room. It used to be a snack bar inside the Student Union. Everyone, both students and university leaders, agreed it needed more space. However, Chancellor Hardin said no to all their requests. He and other leaders worried that a separate Black Cultural Center might lead to groups being kept apart. He suggested adding more space to the Student Union instead.
Students Show Their Support
On Saturday, September 3, 300 students gathered outside Chancellor Paul Hardin's house. They shouted their demands for a separate center. The police broke up the gathering around midnight. More and more students joined the movement.
On Thursday, September 10, between 600 and 1500 students peacefully marched into South Building. They gave Chancellor Hardin a letter. It asked him to support a separate center and choose a location by November 13. Students reportedly waved from the windows, chanting "black power." They stopped work for about 15 minutes. Their letter included a warning: "If you don't respond by this date, we will have no choice but to take direct action." The event ended with a rally at "the pit," a popular social spot at UNC. The Black Awareness Council, a group of Black athletes, organized the event. Margo Crawford, the center's director at the time, said that four football players helped a lot. They were John Bradley, Jimmy Hitchcock, Malcolm Marshall, and Tim Smith, who started the Black Awareness Council.
Chancellor Hardin Asks to Talk
On the Tuesday after the march, Chancellor Hardin asked student leaders to meet with university leaders. He wanted them to create a plan for a separate building to send to the university's board of trustees. Chuck Stone, a professor and writer at UNC, noted that "Hardin has changed his stance significantly." But student groups were still upset that Hardin had not talked to them directly. Because of these complaints, Hardin agreed on Wednesday to be at the meetings.
Spike Lee Joins the Cause
On Friday, September 18, Spike Lee, a famous filmmaker who supports Black causes, spoke to 7,000 students at UNC's Dean Smith Center. About three-fourths of the audience were Black students. The rally started with chants of "What do you want? BCC! When do you want it? Now!" Spike Lee is related by marriage to Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone, for whom the center would be named. He said he was most impressed that "this movement is led by athletes." Most of his 10-minute speech talked about the power Black athletes have. Khalid Abdul Muhammad was also at the rally. Some white students felt left out by the strong "black power" talk. They started collecting signatures for a multicultural center instead, which would represent all minority groups on campus.
A Special Group is Formed
On Wednesday, September 23, a group of thirteen people was chosen. Their job was "to find a home for UNC-CH's new Black Cultural Center." This group included Doloris Jordan, mother of former UNC basketball player Michael Jordan, and Harvey Gantt, the first Black mayor of Charlotte. However, this group did not include any students from the coalition that wanted a separate center. It also didn't include members of the cultural center's advisory board, who were mostly students. University leaders said they would consider any suitable building designs and locations. Students who supported the new center were still unsure. Michelle Thomas, president of the Black Student Movement, asked, "why start all over again? It's just another stall tactic."
Group Supports a Separate Center
On Monday, October 5, the special group officially supported a separate Black Cultural Center. The vote was 10 to 2. After this decision, Richard "Stick" Williams left the group. He was worried that the group had made this big decision too quickly. Williams said, "We've made that decision quickly just so we could get the students to the table." The students, for their part, were waiting for Chancellor Hardin to say he supported it.
On Monday, October 12, more than 150 students marched to Memorial Hall. They wanted to interrupt University Day, a day when university leaders celebrate the university's founding. As the leaders walked in, the students stood silently holding signs that said "no more waiting," "no justice, no peace" and "Hardin's Plantation." As the ceremony was about to begin, the students marched into the hall. They sang, "If you won't let us build a building, then put on your hoods and roll." Some people in the audience clapped.
Hardin Supports a Separate Center
Chancellor Hardin released a statement on Thursday, October 15, saying he supported a separate Black Cultural Center. At first, the students were unsure about his words. He said he supported a "... free-standing facility to house the center ..." The students thought this might mean the center would share a building with other programs. But a day later, a university leader explained it clearly. The student leaders finally agreed to help plan the new building.
The students had two conditions for their involvement:
- They wanted the center's existing advisory committee to do most of the planning.
- They wanted the center to remain mostly student-run.
In a meeting on October 19, the students agreed to stop their threat of "direct action" if Hardin supported a separate center by November 13. The students had won a big step. But Michelle Thomas, the Black Student Movement President, knew there were more challenges ahead. She said, "First we were concerned with step one, and that was the chancellor. Now, we're doing step two, which is the proposal. Once we get to step three—the trustees—we do what we have to do."
