Persistence pays off with the opening of the Multicultural Center
This is the Our View, prepared by the Editorial Board and the institutional voice of The Record.
After years of persistent student effort, the Multicultural Center celebrated its grand opening on Friday, Sept. 24. Its opening marks the culmination of countless peoples’ work and creates a space for students, both current and future, to enjoy.
Work toward a Multicultural Center on campus has been ongoing since at least 2016. When Will covered the most recent student push last year, many students discussed how they often felt they had to restart from square one each year after failing to accomplish their objective. Years of working toward an enhanced Multicultural Center finally yielded a new space for students to use and enjoy. Along with student effort, the work had support from faculty and staff, such as Brandyn Woodard and Malik Stewart, among many others.
On one hand, the Center’s realization is concrete proof that sustained activism works. Change may not come today or this week or this year, but with persistence, it will come.
However, the Center is also evidence that students must fight for what they want. Change, especially a renovation project like the Multicultural Center, will not come easily or quickly. Many people involved in its creation can attest to that.
The Center’s grand opening is an important milestone in our campus’ histories. As we move closer to a joint presidency, we are also witnessing more space and recognition for Black, Indigenous and students of color, along with LGBTQ+ students and international students. In short, our campuses are growing closer to a merger. Students who have not been represented on campus in the past are finally gaining spaces and resources for crucial support. For two campuses who have long vocalized support for community, the Multicultural Center renovation is the result of hard-fought advocacy toward making community a reality for each and every person here.
What other issues have students been pushing for on campus that might not enjoy the same level of popular support as the Multicultural Center? What work has gone unrecognized or unrealized for as long as the Center did before ground finally broke on the renovation?
To everyone who worked toward this renovation for years, and to students current and future who will use and enjoy it, congratulations. While the work of making a true sense of community a reality for everyone is far from over, may the Multicultural Center’s renovation and reopening be a reminder that hard work pays off. Students should not have to carry the burden of making space for themselves, but they did and their work was met with progress. Many of the people who contributed time and energy never got to enjoy the fruits of their labor, but they worked anyway. Hopefully, the Center’s resources pave the way for future generations of students to continue enacting positive change on our campuses and finding home and community at CSB/SJU.