The African American Cultural Resource Center celebrated its 35th anniversary on Friday, Nov. 7 at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Space, hosting former student organizers, alumni, faculty and current students as part of the University of Arizona’s Homecoming events.
Nearly 100 people attended the evening program, which recognized the students who advocated for the center’s creation in 1989 and the students who continue its work today.
The AACRC was founded after Black student protests in April 1989, when organizers called for a dedicated campus space and administrative support for Black students. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center opened in 1990 and became a hub for student programming, academic support and community.
Friday’s celebration connected early student advocacy to the center’s role today, with speakers acknowledging both the original organizers and the students currently involved in the space.
Tim Stark, one of the 1989 protest organizers, recalled the moment student advocacy moved from meetings to direct action.
“We were tired of meetings. We wrapped arms around the Administration building at 6 a.m. and said nobody is coming in,” Stark said. “We fought for a space where students didn’t have to ask to exist.”
According to Stark, the goal was long-term institutional support, not symbolic recognition.
The program also emphasized today’s student leadership and the role of the MLK Dream Space in daily campus life.
According to Charles Johnson, a student employee at the center, the space influenced his college path beyond academics.
“Having a job here, having a place where I have to be, having people I can talk to — that helped me stay at U of A and graduate,” Johnson said.
The anniversary’s inclusion in Homecoming programming brought alumni back to campus, allowing former organizers and current student staff to connect during the same event.
The program also recognized Dr. Jesse J. Hargrove, the founding director of African American Student Affairs, who helped lead the center’s early development.
Hargrove delivered the final remarks of the evening.
“We wanted to work ourselves out of a job. We thought society would change and we wouldn’t need these centers anymore,” Hargrove said. “But the community still needs this space. The mission is still here.”
