When the orange ribbon was cut Wednesday for UF’s new Black Enrichment Center, a crowd of about 100 students, faculty and alumni cheered.
The center, formed by the Institute of Black Culture, will be a space for black students to hold events and relax, said Vee Byrd, the director of Black Affairs. As part of the opening, students marched from the institute on University Avenue to the center in the Reitz Union.
The institute started planning the center about seven years ago, she said. Staff at the institute wanted a central location for black students to gather. The grand opening fell on the day of the 44th anniversary of the institute.
The center was part of the Reitz’s about $75 million expansion, Byrd said. The center is now next to the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Affairs, LGBT Affairs and the Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs. Because of this, Byrd hopes it will unify multicultural groups.
With the center’s opening, UF is the first university in the country to have two spaces for African Americans, Byrd said.
“There’s nothing like coming into a space that’s familiar to you,” she said.
During the parade from the IBC to the Reitz, students held flags from countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad and Haiti.
Marie Saelda Dumorné, a UF international studies sophomore, said marching with the red and blue Haitian flag made her feel empowered.
“The black community is small here. I hope it’ll bring cultures together,” the 19-year-old said.
Roldyne Dolcé, a UF health education and behavior junior, walked with Dumorné. She said she hopes black faculty members use the center.
“A lot of the times, we don’t get to meet the faculty,” the 20-year-old said.
Byrd said it’s important to have a space like this at UF, especially with black enrollment declining.
Although she doesn’t think it will have an immediate impact on enrollment numbers, she said she hopes it’ll improve UF’s retention rate.
“If I was a student, I would feel better supported,” Byrd said.
Susan Ajayi (second left), a 22-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences senior, cuts the ribbon along with others at the inauguration of the Black Enrichment Center at the Reitz Union on Thursday.
