African American Resource and Cultural Center

The African American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) was established in 1990-91 by UCSC alumna and Founding Director Sister Paula L. Powell, ’89. Since our founding as the first ethnic resource center at UCSC, we have striven to create and foster an environment in which students of African/Black descent excel personally, professionally, and academically through our commitment to celebrating our culture and providing multifaceted support and resources to students.

The AARCC provides a wide range of support, resources, and programs for students from the African diaspora at UCSC. We encourage and facilitate student involvement and success in campus life, student organizations, academic excellence, and community engagement. The center provides leadership training, conflict resolution, advisement, and advocacy for the diasporic community on campus.

The AARCC welcomes volunteers, mentors, and student interns to participate in the center’s educational and cultural initiatives. The AARCC works closely with various student organizations in order to establish viable support networks — both academic and social — for our students. Organizations currently affiliated, supported, or established by the AARCC include African/Black Student Alliance, (A/BSA), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), African-American Theater Arts Troupe, UCSC Rainbow Theater, African/Black Voice, Black Sisterhood United, Black Men’s Alliance, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Umoja Mentoring Program — Big Brother/Big Sister, UCSC Gospel Choir, African-American Recognition Ceremony, Destination Higher Education, Black Graduate Student Network, Queers of Color, E2-Engaging Education, Student Union Assembly, Charles Hamilton Houston Pre-Law Society, African-American Studies Institute, and the NAACP.