The History of African American Resource Center
Dr. Wacira Gethaiga graduated with his masters degree in Education in 1969, from the University of California , Berkeley. That same year he was given the position of Chair of the Afro-Ethnic Studies Department. He continued his studies at Claremont University where he received his doctorate degree, in 1973.
At the time of his arrival to Cal State Fullerton, there were no black studies programs in Southern California. He along with three other individuals were the founding fathers of the Ethnic Studies Department. The Ethnic Studies Department was initiated with two Blacks, Dr. Wacira Gethaiga and Dr. Michael Finney, as well as two Chicanos, Dr. Diego Fuentes and Dr. Roberto Ceros.
Cal State Fullerton’s administration brought the Ethnic Studies Department into their curriculum to increase the enrollment of the black students on campus. Dr. Gethaiga said that at the time of his arrival to CSUF there were less than 10 black students enrolled in the entire campus.
To build up the enrollment of black students, Dr. Gethaiga along with others who had a heart and passion for the black students to become a part of the college community visited neighboring high schools in Southern California, in places like Riverside, San Bernardino, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.
The Ethnic Studies Department changed locations various times. It moved from the Library to McCarthy Hall, to the Education Classroom Building, and even to what is now Hope International University. The Ethnic Studies Department is now housed in the Humanities Building, Room 314.
In 1971, the Ethnic Studies Department divided into two separate departments. Afro-Ethnic Studies and Chicano Studies. It was at this time that Dr. Gethaiga became the Chair of the Afro-Ethnic Studies Department. The Ethnic Studies Department now consists of: Afro-Ethnic Studies, Asian American Studies, and Chicano Studies.
Soon after the number of black students increased at Cal State Fullerton, Dr. Gethaiga had a vision to create a place for black students to not only meet and greet, but also to have a constructive environment to focus on their coursework and receive tutoring. Dr. Gethaiga said that the black students would congregate in the quad and were searching for a place where they would feel connected.
Therefore, Dr. Gethaiga began making proposals to the Universities Administration to establish what would become the African American Resource Center. The African American Faculty and Staff Association(AAFSA) was formed during this time. The approval of the development of the African American Resource Center was a very, very slow process.
Dr. Gethaiga had many conversations with CSUF’s president at the time Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb, but it was until Dr. Milton Gordon became the president of CSUF that Dr. Gethaiga’s pleas were heard.
The first hurdle was finding the real estate. The second floor of the Humanities building was being renovated. The Communications Department had a photo lab on the 2nd floor of the Humanities building that was being moved to College Park. Dr. Gethaiga decided that, although it did not look like much at the time, this would be a great location for the center.
The black students caught Dr. Gethaiga’s vision, and they decided to visit President Gordon’s office. President Gordon, had already been familiar with Dr. Gethaiga’s vision. Therefore, when the students stepped in and said that they wanted to utilize the space on the second floor of the Humanities building, President Gordon agreed.
After, decades of making his request Dr. Gethaiga received a knock on his office door, it was President Gordon who gave him the approval to build the African American Resource Center (AARC), which is now located in Humanities Room 222.
Dr. Gethaiga was elated with President Gordon’s approval, and brought the good news back to the newly formed African American Faculty and Staff Association who began the plans for the space. However, there was another hurdle that ensued. They could not build without the proper funding.
Dr. Robert Palmer, who was the Vice President of Cal State Fullerton at the time, made a significant contribution to the AARC by spear-heading the funding of the center. Ellen Shaw, Dr. Palmer’s secretary, also, played a big role in identifying the needs of the AARC.
In the fall of 2005, the African American Resource Center opened. It now serves approximately 400 students per month. The African American Faculty and Staff Association which included names like Dr. Wacira Gethaiga, Dr. Julie Stokes, Jacqueline Ortiz, Karl Jackson, Dr. Jesse Owens Smith, to name a few, played a pivotal role in developing and establishing the décor as well as the programming for the AARC .
The African American Faculty and Staff Association is still active today , contributing an abundance of time and effort to student life at Cal State Fullerton through the planning of the Black History Month Dinner, each February, as well as the Pan African Student Recognition Ceremony, each May.
The African American Alumni Association is also active today in developing and implementing events and programs to assist the black community at CSUF. There are also, clubs and organizations, as well as historically black fraternities and sororities who continue to develop the presence of the black community at CSUF. These organizations are all apart of the Black Student Union, and include names like Afro-Ethnic Student Association, Alliance for the Preservation of African Consciousness, Christ Our Redeemer North, Divine Servants, the National Society of Black Engineers, Sistertalk,Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
The African American Resource Center is located in Humanities 222. We encourage you to stop by and become a part of the vision!
by Chauntel Riser |
