The Feminist Alliance and the BCC

The Feminist Alliance and the UNC Black Cultural Center Ambassadors have joined forces to bring the pop band BETTY to UNC-Chapel Hill Saturday November 15th for a special concert to benefit the Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. The concert, which will begin at 8:00 in Chapel Hill, will raise funds for the construction of a free-standing Black Cultural Center on the UNC Chapel Hill Campus.

The Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center (BCC) was established in 1988 at UNC Chapel Hill after years of struggle by the Black Student Movement on campus, and with the support of key faculty such as the late Dr. Sonja Haynes. Today, the BCC serves as an intellectual and cultural center of activity on the UNC campus. Since its founding, the BCC has been housed in a temporary 900 foot space, and from this small location, has launched an impressive array of outstanding programs that reach from the university into the community. On-going lectures, conferences and concerts are sponsored by the BCC on the UNC-CH campus, and the BCC has forged links with the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities with mentorship and literacy programming. The vision for the center however is much bigger‹a free-standing BCC has been the goal of BCC supporters for some time. The planned complex will include a library, media center, classrooms and performance space, at an estimated cost of $7.5 million, all of which is being raised from private donors.

The Feminist Alliance has made a commitment to help the BCC in reaching its goal. The Feminist Alliance is a collective of graduate student women, drawn together by feminist convictions. The Alliance seeks to provide a network of support for graduate women, and to actively promote dialogue and change in the University and wider Triangle communities on issues of concern to all women. For some time, members of the Alliance have been concerned about the slow fundraising process for the BCC, and the implications this has for race relations at UNC Chapel Hill.

As feminists, the members of the Feminist Alliance recognize the indivisibility of gender, race, and class struggles and believe that the achievement of a free standing BCC is an important step towards social justice on the UNC campus. The establishment of a free-standing BCC has been delayed for too long, and the Alliance is concerned that there will be no true gender justice without racial justice at UNC. As a result of these reflections, the Alliance is throwing its efforts into raising the funds necessary to make the dream of a free-standing BCC a reality.

The BCC Ambassadors have teamed up with the Feminist Alliance in bringing BETTY to the UNC campus for the benefit concert. The Ambassadors are a group of student allies, dedicated to advancing the mission and goals of the BCC. The ambassadors serve the vital function of educating

campus and community members about the BCCs history and on-going activities.

The band BETTY, best known for its "glistening harmonies, tight as Spandex" (Vanity) and "infectious, inventive melodies" (Utne Reader) promises to deliver a fabulous show, packed with original songs.

You may know BETTY already‹they appeared in the Spring of 1997 at UNC for young feminists week. BETTY is not only known for its great music, but also its herstory of putting its music to work for good causes. This concert promises to be a great time, for an important goal.

BETTY Concert: November 15, 8pm at UNC-Chapel Hill campus
Tickets: $6 in advance/$8 at door UNC students. $10 in advance/$12 others
Available at the UNC-Chapel Hill Union Box office in-person and credit card by phone (919) 962-1449; Internationalist Books (919) 942-1740; Regulator Book Shop (919) 286-2700; White Rabbit Books 309 (919) 856-1429 and (910) 272-7604.
Disability: Wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpreters.