At the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center our mission is to complement the academic program of studies and enrich the quality of campus life for African and African-American students at Oregon State University. Our center is responsible for putting together events for OSU students and the community throughout the year. These events are aimed at educating and unifying all those who attend as well as being high-impact to ensure that those who attend are able to take something of value with them after the event.
Here at the center, it is an honor to be able to host events and collaborate with other centers to advocate, as well as teach about, important events of the African and African-American culture. During the month of February our center is responsible for putting together numerous events that pertain to black culture, as well as black history as a whole. Black History month’s creation is heavily credited to Carter G. Woodson in 1926. Many of these events are put on with collaboration from other cultural centers around campus.
Our most recent event was our annual Black History Month Dinner, which celebrated the beginning of a month filled with rich African-American history. The dinner was a tremendous success with over 200 guests. There was a keynote speaker, a guest performer and delicious meals, which were made by our very own staff along with several volunteers.
Working at the LBHBCC has been a wonderful experience that has allowed me to grow in numerous aspects. I have learned about not only the Black culture, but others as well. Last term, along with a group of my co-workers, I helped plan an event about the awareness educational disparities that minorities, and more specifically black people’s, experiences throughout college. The event was centered on guest speaker and Oregon State professor Michael O’Malley. He composed a presentation with many statistics, facts and trends that have been observed through studies on the additional obstacles that are present to students that are classified as minorities. It has been a great experience to be able to collaborate with other community members and to be a part of something on campus that impacts the lives of so many.
This coming term we are anxiously awaiting the grand opening of the new location of the LBHBCC. After having the process delayed more than once, it finally seems that it is coming to a close. We are projected to move in to the center during Spring Break 2015. The new center will be a more accessible space that allows for more visibility on campus as well as a more welcoming environment than our temporary location, which is on the fourth floor of Snell Hall. The center will be more suitable for working on our events with a more efficient use of space so that others can utilize our center’s resources. The new center will offer resources such as study hours, free printing, and a safe space to hangout and talk.
Delfino Tolento | 2014-2015 Peer Facilitator
Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center | Oregon State University
Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center
Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center
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