“Homes Away from Home”: BCC exhibit receives innovation award
In November 2024, UIC’s Black Cultural Center (BCC), the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (BNAACC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the Diversity Center at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) received the Kuumba Innovative Program of the Year Award from The Association for Black Cultural Centers (ABCC). This award recognizes the development and execution of the program “Homes Away from Home: Cultural Centers and Black Student Belonging at the University of Illinois,” demonstrating excellence in planning and carrying out a comprehensive, continuous program.
As part of an ongoing partnership, Directors Cynthia Blair (UIC), Jazmyne Kellogg (UIUC) and Justin J. Rose (UIS) created a program that both aligns with the values upheld by the University of Illinois system and was also acknowledged by ABCC as “significantly enhancing the social, educational and cultural life of students and the general community at their institution(s).”
The inter-institutional partnership started in 2020, when Blair, Kellogg and Rose convened to discuss ways to link the Black Cultural Center, BNAACC and the Diversity Center through special programming and cross-campus initiatives. They wanted to find innovative ways to build community and support their students.
The first event took place during Black History Month in February 2021 when the cultural center directors had a virtual fireside chat with the late acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni. In 2022, Professor Michelle Goodwin (University of California Irvine) was invited by the trio to speak about Black women’s reproductive rights and motherhood. These successful online collaborations compelled the three center directors to consider bridging the geographical divide between the system campuses with in-person programming.
Drawing from each center’s collections and campus archives, and supported by the work of Black Cultural Center staff and interns, the “Homes Away from Homes” exhibition was created. The exhibit traces each center’s history, highlighting the pivotal role played by students and local communities in the establishment of centers supporting Black students, who have been historically underrepresented and traditionally marginalized at Predominantly White Institutions.
“While unique, our stories bear the echoes of past and present student voices and community demands for safe, supportive and culturally affirming spaces on campuses too often indifferent to their experiences,” said exhibit curator Cynthia Blair.
Justin Rose underscored “how critical it is/was to have ‘third spaces’ like cultural centers on campus that represent identity, community and culture all at once.”
Jazmyne Kellogg commented that “the award affirms the value added by the centers as experts on our campuses and amplifies the necessity of Black cultural centers to continue being the storytellers and memory keepers of Black resistance, resilience and excellence.”
On February 1, 2024—the first day of Black History Month—the “Homes Away from Home” exhibition was open to the public at the University of Illinois Springfield. Students from across the U of I system gathered to view the exhibit. Students and community members were able to be in community and build solidarity across the Univerity of Illinois system campuses, something that Kellogg, Blair and Rose built into the program design.
All three directors commented that the University of Illinois system collaboration “grows stronger each year” and they look forward to “continuing the work of creating innovative, culturally relevant programming that supports and challenges our students and that builds a strong tri-campus community of belonging.”
This Black History Month, the “Homes Away from Home” exhibit will be on display at the UIC Black Cultural Center.