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(CROWD) ONE TWO THREE! (APPLAUSE)
(LAKEITHA POOLE) IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE
TO WELCOME YOU ALL HERE AS WE SHARE IN THE DEDICATION
OF OUR NEW AND EXPANDED AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER.
IT IS A VERY EXCITING DAY, AND YOUR PRESENCE HERE
AS WE OFFICIALLY CUT THE RIBBON FOR THIS NEW FACILITY
IS TRULY SPECIAL. AFTER TWO YEARS OF BEING
TEMPORARILY RELOCATED IN HATCHER HALL, WE'RE BACK
AND EXCITED ABOUT THE VERY BRIGHT FUTURE OF THE AACC.
(STUART BELL) WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE YOU HERE
ON THIS HISTORIC DAY AS WE REDEDICATE AND THEN OPEN
THESE NEW FACILITIES OF THE AACC, AND CERTAINLY
WITH THIS COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, LSU IS JOINING
A VERY ELITE GROUP OF UNIVERSITIES THAT HAVE
FOCUSED THE IMPORTANCE OF STANDING UP, DEDICATED
SELF STANDING AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE CENTERS
ON THEIR CAMPUS, AND I THINK THAT IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT.
I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY IMPORTANT WHERE WE ARE
IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR
STUDENTS, AND THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE GOING TO PROVIDE.
SO, THIS REDEDICATION IS CERTAINLY A TANGIBLE,
A VERY TANGIBLE ILLUSTRATION, THAT WE CAN LOOK TOWARDS
FOR AGAIN, OUR FACULTY AND OUR STUDENTS, THAT SHOWS
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND AN INCLUSIVE
EXCELLENCE COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT.
(KATRICE ALBERT) TODAY MARKS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN A
LONG HISTORY OF HOPE, DEDICATED WORK, AND
COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIPS THAT EXTEND JUST ABOUT 40 YEARS.
IN THIS BUILDING, WE STAND IN THE SPIRIT OF ALL GENERATIONS
OF HOPE AND LOVE AND DREAMS. WE STAND IN THE SPIRIT OF AFRICANS
WHO ENDURED THE MIDDLE PASSAGE AND WERE BROUGHT THROUGH
THE PORT OF NEW ORLEANS, SOLD AND ENSLAVED TO HARVEST
THE BOUNTIES OF LOUISIANA SOIL. WE STAND IN THE SPIRIT
OF THOSE FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO MADE STRATEGIC MOVES
FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR US. WE STAND IN THE SPIRIT OF THOSE
UNABLE TO ATTEND LSU AND THOSE WHO STRATEGIZED
WITH RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION SO THAT WE COULD. WE ARE
THE LEGACY OF A.P. TUREAD, SENIOR; A.P. TUREAD JUNIOR;
ERNEST "DUTCH" MORIAL; OLLIE BURNS; PEARL ANDREWS;
AND SO MANY OTHERS WHO WE OWE ETERNAL GRATITUDE.
WE ARE THEIR CHOSEN BENEFICIARIES WHO CONTINUE
THEIR WORK AND BELIEVED THAT THIS VERY DAY WOULD COME.
(DONALD CRAVINS JR.) CULTURE IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT
TREASURE OF A PEOPLE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD SHARE,
WE SHOULD HONOR, WE SHOULD PROTECT. BUT I THINK DR. BELL,
HE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE SHARING. THIS BUILDING IS FOR
US, AS AFRICAN AMERICANS, BUT IT IS ALSO PART OF THE ENTIRE
UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY. SO, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN,
WHEN YOU HONOR THIS CENTER, AND WHEN YOU PARTICIPATE
AND YOU DO THESE WONDERFUL ACTIVITIES IN THIS CENTER,
INVITE OUR WHITE BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE CENTER. INVITE OUR INDIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS
TO PARTICIPATE, OUR HISPANIC BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A REPRESENTATION OF WHO WE ARE.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST
OF WHO WE ARE. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A PART OF OUR HISTORY,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT DR. PERKINS WOULD WANT YOU TO KNOW.
THAT WE'RE PART OF A UNIVERSITY FAMILY. THIS IS OUR PIECE,
BUT SHARE IT. SHARE IT, PROTECT IT, RESPECT IT.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TODAY WE BEGIN A NEW CHAPTER
IN THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ON LSU'S CAMPUS,
AND YOU'RE DOING IT IN 2013 WHEN WE ARE AT THE
BEST THAT I THINK WE'VE EVER BEEN IN AMERICA. AND I KNOW
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF STRUGGLES STILL LEFT TO GO, BUT IN 2013,
UNLIKE ANY OTHER TIME IN OUR HISTORY, OUR UNIVERSITY HAS
THE HIGHEST, HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS.
SO, THIS IS A PART OF A NEW CHAPTER THAT YOU WILL WRITE
HERE IN THIS BUILDING. WE'RE PART OF A NEW DAY IN AMERICA
IN 2013, WHEN YOU CAN GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE
AND SEE BLACK FACES LIVING IN THAT HOUSE.
THIS IS PART OF A NEW DAY, SO I'M EXCITED TODAY.
YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN THAT ARE GOING TO MATRICULATE
THROUGH THIS UNIVERSITY, YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE THAT
NEW CHAPTER, THAT NEW TIME, THAT NEW STORY OF THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE, OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
HERE AT LSU, AND I AM JUST SO HONORED AND THRILLED
THAT YOU LET ME BE A PART OF THAT. I THANK YOU AGAIN,
GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, AND GO TIGERS!
(APPLAUSE)