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The Spectator
ALCC Commemorates 40th Anniversary with Founders
by Russ Doubleday '11News Editor
October 09, 2009
The Afro-Latin Cultural Center (ALCC) celebrated its 40th anniversary this past weekend with a rededication of the building. Students and alumni were packed inside the living room of the ALCC house on College Hill Road as President Joan Hinde Stewart spoke about the building's history and presented an anniversary plaque commemorating its legacy.
The event, entitled "Celebrating Difference: Reception and Rededication of the Afro-Latin Cultural Center," brought together alumni who were influential in the ALCC's founding and current leaders of the Black Latino Student Union (BLSU) who continue to share the space today with the Africana Studies Department. Tiffany Sanders '11, president of BLSU and Phyllis Breland '80, the director of Opportunity Programs also spoke about the ALCC's influence in the present and the past. A lunch reception followed the brief dedication.
Breland spoke affectionately of her time spent at the ALCC, more commonly known as "The House." She lived there for three years when the building was a residence hall.
"There was cable television, a pool table, washer [and] dryer and a full kitchen," said Breland. "We cooked on the weekends, gathered there daily, housed guest speakers and shared cultures. We developed extremely close bonds and worked with each other to educate the community regarding our cultures."
When Residential Life decided to stop using "The House" as a dorm, Opportunity Programs stepped in and moved their academic support center there in an effort to keep the building relevant. Student groups have increasingly taken advantage of the space over the years.
Harry Long '72, P'03, one of the co-founders of the ALCC 40 years ago, flew in from Florida for the anniversary celebration. Many things have changed since its founding in 1969 – the Civil Rights Act was signed only five years before – but the ALCC has continually evolved to fit the needs of current Hamilton students, most notably BLSU.
"[BLSU is] a cultural organization on campus that seeks to empowers our members within the Hamilton College Community based on the pillars of academics, cultural awareness, diversity and social justice," said Sanders. "BLSU uses the space in the ALCC…regularly, as it empowers us."
"As Harry Long so carefully described, the ALCC came about as a need of students of color to feel grounded, safe, and have a means to practice their cultures with comfort and dignity," said Breland. "There were many immediate community tensions present 40 years ago."
Although the ALCC has expanded its scope to reflect the increased diversity of Hamilton students, Breland believes that the message is still the same.
"For me 'The House' remains vibrant because I lived there, and I worked to educate this community on acceptance and understanding; it is part of who I am," explained Breland. "Today is different. It is no longer my time. I do know that today the message is the same. However, someone else is doing the writing."