Multicultural Center
History & Legacy
Where We Came From
In 2004, the 海角破解版 Cultural Center Project Planning Committee was created by Vice President for Student Services Garry Johnson at the request of President Al Goldfarb to develop a proposal for building a new facility that would house the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center (GBCC), and this committee soon expanded to become the Multicultural Center Steering Committee. The temporary relocation of the GBCC had created an opportunity for the University to develop a stronger vision of the future utility of all three centers and how physical space can be designed to provide greater opportunities for provision of resources, services, programming and interactions. The University, in appointing the committee, recognized the need for a more functional housing arrangement for the three centers.
In a centrally located common facility with distinctive environmental design and cultural atmosphere, the centers would become more visible and accessible to students, faculty, staff and community members and could expand program and service delivery, which might further strengthen the University鈥檚 recruitment and retention efforts, especially of underrepresented groups including Black, Latinx, international, and female students, faculty and staff.
The Multicultural Center was officially opened August of 2009, and is located across the street from the University Union. The center is unique in that it is the first building on Western's Macomb campus to be constructed under green standards, including a grass roof. In 2019, ten years after the opening of the building, the Multicultural Center welcomed the LGBT*QA Resource Center as the fourth member of the MCC family. That same year, the Multicultural Center became one cohesive unit, with all of the centers operating under one director of the MCC. The center is聽 now home to the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, the Casa Latina Cultural Center, the LGBT*QA Resource Center, and the Women's Center, that each work together under the Director of the MCC, the Program Coordinator, the Events Administrator, the Office Administrator, a team of Graduate Assistants, and all of our Student Ambassadors.
Being located in one central location gives the four centers a chance to enhance their goals of educational, social, and cultural programs and resources that will help to focus the campus community's awareness and appreciation of diversity, equity, and inclusion by recognizing and inviting all backgrounds to build community together.
Where We Are Going
The Multicultural Center, home of the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, Casa Latina, the Women鈥檚 Center, and the LGBT*QA Resource Center, aims to advance the goals of educational, social, and cultural awareness. Together, the MCC provides resources to enhance the campus community鈥檚 understanding and appreciation of all identities.
Casa Latina is a home away from home for students of all backgrounds, with programs and student organizations highlighting the Latin American and Indigenous cultures.
Get involved with Amplify, Latin American Literary Society, Latin American Student Organization, Mariachi de Oro, and Tradicion.
Take part in Latinx Heritage Month, D铆a De Los Muertos, BYOT (Bring your own tortilla) and Calle Murray.
Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center is committed to helping the campus community adjust to a multicultural and multiracial society regardless of race, age or economic status.
There are a variety of options for student groups under GBCC: African Student Association, Black Man Achievement Network, Black Student Association, Black Student Summit, Cultural Expressions, Christian Faith Campus Ministries, GBCC Dance Troupe, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Join us for a Kwanzaa Dinner and a variety of Black History Month events to promote the cultural experiences of the African Diaspora.
The LGBT*QA Resource Center is a space for students to become visible and form connections with the Queer community at 海角破解版 and in Macomb.
Everyone is welcome to join our student organization Unity and our Queer book club. A gender affirming closet is also available free of charge.
The Big Picture Picnic, Camp OUT, Trans* Day of Remembrance, Drag Shows, and Pride Week are a few of the great events you can be part of each year.
The Women鈥檚 Center is a space to celebrate women, and we welcome students of all genders. Our goal is to empower and provide support for students.
Beyond Beautiful, Campus Girl Scouts, Diamond Dolls Dance Troupe, Feminist Action Alliance, and The Good Girl Movement are all student organizations to consider joining.
Come be part of legacy events like Love Your Body Day, Take Back the Night, The Vagina Monologues and Women鈥檚 History Month programs.
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