Donate: Advancing the Mission of the Black Cultural Center
Virtual Engagement
We are committed to maintaining high levels of support and resources for our students. During this time, the BCC and Dean of Students staff will continue to check and respond to voicemails and emails. In addition, the BCC will continue to offer resource navigation and support remotely, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. To reach the coordinator of the BCC, call 541-346-6321 or email arish@uoregon.edu if you need assistance. To reach the Dean of Students crisis team, call 541-346-3216.
Refer to the site below for official updates regarding the University of Oregon’s response to COVID-19, including frequently asked questions.
During fall term 2020 the university will be offering learning primarily online and remotely. While we may not be able to engage with one another within the BCC, we do welcome students to connect with the Black Cultural Center staff virtually. Please join us on social media and Zoom for events such as Black Grad Writing Circle, Virtual Super Soul Tuesdays, Nuanced Griot: Community Conversations, and other virtual interactions and programming.
Lyllye Reynolds-Parker
Black Cultural Center
While the LRP Black Cultural Center will be closed for fall term 2020 due to state and university guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still supporting students in person and remotely.
The outside porch of the BCC will be available to a limited number of students during Dr. Aris Hall's office hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1:00–4:00 p.m.; and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.–noon.
1870 East 15th Avenue
Monday–Friday: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (offering services remotely)
Get Connected
If you are interested in staying up to date about what’s going on with the BCC, please provide your name and email using our online form to be added to our mailing list.
Contact Us
Our Mission
The Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center is the engine for Black students’ academic success at the University of Oregon. The BCC is a welcoming and supportive space that helps Black students harness the resources necessary to navigate their social, cultural, and academic experience. By investing in the success of Black students, the BCC enhances the cultural and social development of the entire University of Oregon community.
Black Cultural Center Opening from University of Oregon on Vimeo.
Umoja Black Scholars Community
The Umoja Residential Community is a space in the residence halls where Black students can come together, grow in their own identities, engage with peer mentors, and connect with academic advising and resources.
Applications for the Umoja Black Scholars Community will open in March 2021 for the 2021–2022 academic year.
About Lyllye Reynolds-Parker
Lyllye Reynolds-Parker was born in Eugene in 1946 and was a member of the first graduating class of Henry D. Sheldon High School. Ms. Parker started her social justice work while in high school, being actively involved with the civil rights movement here. She was vice president of the local Student Non-violence Committee, an organization founded by Stokely Carmichael, an internationally known civil rights advocate.
Ms. Parker earned her BA in sociology from the UO in 1991. She worked at the UO as an academic advisor in the Office of Multicultural Academic Success for 17 years, until she retired.
Ms. Parker has served on multiple advisory committees. She also serves on the board of a local nonprofit, the League of United Latin American Citizens, where she is the honorary chair of their Anti-Racial Profiling Committee.
The UO’s Women’s Center hosts an annual Lyllye B. Parker Womxn of Color Speaker Series to bring female speakers of color to campus.
Events
Dr. Nikki Chery will be available on Wednesdays from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Dr. Chery is a Black and African-American Student Specialist and a Senior Staff Psychologist.
Click here for Waiting Room
Let’s Talk is a service that provides easy access to free, informal, and confidential one-on-one consultation with a University Counseling Services staff member.
What makes Let’s (Tele)Talk different from counseling services at UCS?
No appointment necessary (first-come, first served)
No paperwork to be completed
Easy access support and consultation
Let’s (Tele)Talk is especially helpful for students who:
Have a specific concern and would like to consult with someone about it
Would like on-the-spot consultation rather than ongoing counseling
Would like to consult with a UCS staff member about what actual therapy looks like
Would like to meet with one of our UCS identity-based specialists
Have a concern about a friend or family member and would like some ideas about what to do
How does Let’s (Tele)Talk work?
While typically offered in various campus locations, Let’s (Tele)Talk will now be offered via Zoom. Click on the relevant link below to access a Zoom meeting with a Let’s (Tele)Talk counselor. There may be a wait in the Zoom waiting room if the counselor is meeting with another student. Please wait and we will be with you as soon as we can. Let’s Talk appointments are brief (usually between 15-30 minutes) and is meant to be used on an as-needed basis.
Quench your thirst for knowledge at Ideas on Tap, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History's monthly pub talk—now served online! This month, join writer, educator, and creative revolutionist Renee Mitchell for a conversation about the role art can play in empowering Black youth.
THREE WAYS TO WATCH: Register to participate on Zoom, watch it live on our Facebook page, or catch it later on our YouTube channel.
While we won't be gathering in person, you can still support our friends at Viking Braggot Company Southtowne the night of the event! Stream Ideas on Tap from your device at one of their outdoor tables, or place a to-go order and enjoy their great food and braggots at home.
Nikkita Oliver is a Seattle-based creative, community organizer, abolitionist, educator and attorney. She is the co-executive director of Creative Justice, an arts-based alternative to incarceration.
How Far Do You Have To Go For Justice? Acting beyond the vote.
REGISTER HERE
Kim Johnson will discuss the inspirations of her timely best selling novel This Is My America, delving into the themes of how racial injustice in our criminal justice system leads to mass incarceration and excessive punishment. She will delve into our 2020 elections and our responsibility in not only our electoral process, but broader acts of social justice and civic engagement.
Johnson held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and during her time as a student at the University of Oregon. She is now the UO Assistant Vice Provost for Advising and Director for the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence.
Watch the book trailer for This is My America
Registration coming soon
As the lead writer for New York Times Magazine’s “The 1619 Project,” a major viral multimedia initiative observing the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves arriving in America, award-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones explores the lasting legacy of black enslavement on the nation—specifically, how black Americans pushed for the democracy we have today.
Nothing we know about American life today has been untouched by slavery. Everything from social infrastructure and segregation to music and sugar have been shaped by it. “The 1619 Project” features all black American authors, activists, journalists, and more, spreading its heartbreaking and absolutely essential message worldwide.
Hannah-Jones will speak about "The 1619 Project" and participate in a panel discussion with UO faculty and students about the need to remain vigilant in the fight against racial inequality at a time when the United States is deeply divided. The event will include an audience Q&A.
About Nikole Hannah-Jones
Nikole Hannah-Jones is a MacArthur Genius, winner of the National Book Award, and a New York Times Magazine staff writer. She has also received a Peabody Award, a George Polk Award for radio reporting, and the National Magazine Award for journalism that illuminates issues of national importance. She was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists and received the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting as well as the Emerson College President’s Award for Civic Leadership. Hannah-Jones also co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. Her brilliant, heavy-hitting journalism has also been featured in The Atlantic Magazine, Huffington Post, Essence Magazine, Politico Magazine, and on This American Life, NPR, MSNBC, and many other news programs and outlets across the country and internationally.
About the Event
This event is co-sponsored by the University of Oregon’s Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Division of Equity and Inclusion, the UO Common Reading, and the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center. The annual UO School of Journalism and Communication Ruhl Lecture brings the most influential voices in mass communication to campus.
David F. Walker is a comic book writer and filmmaker who has worked for Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. He is the co-creator of Bitter Root and Naomi and author of the graphic novel The Life of Fredrick Douglas. He also teaches at Portland State University.
Limited space, RSVP with the BE team sabbe@uoregon.edu
Additional live stream on Instagram and video of talk will be uploaded to the EMU YouTube page the following week.