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University History: the Black experience at Penn State

The purpose of this guide is to create a broader understanding of the history of Black student life, faculty, staff, and alumni at Penn State University, through resources and collections available in the Penn State University Archives.

Visiting speakers and spoken word

 

a black-and-white photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. addressing a crowd at Rec Hall, University Park (Pa.)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1965): Photographic vertical files, Portraits (01212), box 140

Dr. King's address came less than two months after he formally accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent means. His topic to the crowd of 8,000 that midwinter evening was "the future of integration," and his intent was to rally public support for ending segregation.

 

Penn State University has hosted many notable Black speakers over the decades. In some cases, their words were recorded and preserved in the University Archives. Resources about visiting speakers will continue to be added to the list below.

a black-and-white photograph of Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) standing at a speaker's podium

Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali)(1969): Photographic vertical files, portraits (01212), box 51

Black Arts Festival

 Listing of events for the 1975 Black Arts Festival   Listing of events for the 1991 Black Arts Festival "Uplifting the Black Man"

Black Arts Festival programs (1979, 1991) : Black students (African American students) general vertical files, Arts Festival (00389)

From 1969 until 1991, members of the Penn State Black Student Union organized a Black Arts Festival. The purpose of the festival was to educate whites about Black culture and to strengthen the pride and unity of Black students. In their words, "A spectrum of what is our America." The film "It's Our Thing" was featured at the 1969 Black Arts Festival.

The University Archives Photographic collections contains many images from past Black Arts Festivals:

Black history month

 

the Black History Month event schedule (1991), The Black Woman : gifts, goals and glass ceilings   the Black History Month Schedule (1993), printed on pink paper

Black history month event schedules (1991, 1993) : Black students (African American students) general vertical files, Paul Robeson Cultural Center (00389)

 

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

 

First page of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center brochure

Second page of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center brochure

brochures: the Paul Robeson Cultural Center (1986, 1989): Black students (African American students) general vertical files (00389)

The Paul Robeson Cultural Center

The Paul Robeson Cultural Center (PRCC) grew out of the student movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which demanded more services and representation for Black students at Penn State. A committee led by Edward V. Ellis, Associate Professor of Public Health and Associate Dean for continuing education in the College of Human Development, formally proposed the creation of a Black Cultural Center in April 1971. President John W. Oswald approved the proposal on May 11, 1971, with an operational budget of $51,900 and a new home in the Walnut Building. Assistant track coach Warren B. Coleman served as the interim director from 1972 to early 1973.

The Center's first Director was James L. Carter, who was hired in January 1971 and abruptly dismissed in March after expressing concerns about the level of administrative support for the center. Elmore M. Browne served as director from 1973 to 1982. During this period, the Center's cultural programs flourished with visiting speakers, performances, art installations, and conferences. The Black Arts Fest, which began in 1969, became one of the center's signature events, and continued annually until at least 1992. A traveling exhibition called The Black Experience, ran from 1977 to 1985. In 1977, the center launched its own academic journal, Minority Voices, An Interdisciplinary Journal of Literature and the Arts, which ceased publication in 1991.

Browne was succeeded in 1983 by Lawrence Young. Under Young's leadership the center would officially change its name to the Paul Robeson Cultural Center with a rededication ceremony on September 8, 1984. Young also led the center's move out of the Walnut Building and into a newly renovated wing of the Hetzel Union Building. After nearly a decade of planning, the PRCC moved into the HUB-Robeson Center in 1999, where its facilities include a library/lounge for students, a conference room, an auditorium, and offices for student organizations. Under the leadership of subsequent directors, including Toby S. Jenkins (2005-2009), Tony Keith (interim 2009-2010) and Carlos Wiley (2010-2022), it has continued to provide programs and a welcoming space for many multicultural communities at Penn State. In April 2023, the PRCC celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala at the Bryce Jordan Center. Evan Williams was appointed director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center in June 2023.

The center's namesake, Paul Robeson (1898-1976), was a classically trained singer, actor, and activist who spent his life championing the lived experiences of African Americans, advocating for equality on and off the stage.

  • Pennsylvania State University, Paul Robeson Cultural Center collection (10129): This collection consists of material compiled from other archival collections within the Eberly Family Special Collections Library documenting the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. Among the materials gathered are the founding documents and early administrative records, donor and general correspondence, guidelines and standards for social events, as well as correspondence, personal information, press releases and writings from two of the past directors, Lawrence Y. Young and James L. Carter. This collection also contains news clippings and press releases documenting the history of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.
  • Digitized materials on the Paul Robeson Cultural Center/Black Cultural Center and its original home in the Walnut Building. The Walnut Building no longer exists on campus, but has been memorialized with a historical marker.
  • Digitized materials on the Paul Robeson Cultural Center in its current home in the HUB-Robeson Center
  • Digitized publications, event fliers, and other ephemera from the Paul Robeson Cultural Center
  • Bits and Pieces: Periodical issued by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Penn State. Issues typically open with an excerpt or quotation, such as speeches (including speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), poems, or news items. Issues also include "Gleanings" (brief pieces of news pertaining to the African American experience), profiles of prominent Black people, and "What you always wanted to know" (brief news items on topics such as race, education, and labor).
  • Minority Voices: An interdisciplinary journal of literature and the arts published by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center

 

a black-and-white photograph of Black students walking together and smiling

black-and-white photograph: Black students (African American students) photographic vertical files (01190)