Mission and History

Mission

The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) provides services and resources for students, faculty and community members to research, teach about, and broaden their knowledge of historically excluded racial and ethnic groups of color in the United States. Of special interest will be the historical and contemporary experiences of people of color in the Midwest.

History of the MRC

The initial request for a center was born out of the struggle of students of color at SCSU who had grave concerns about the conditions on campus for people from ethnic and racial groups of color. In 1995, the members of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) initiated a hunger strike with other students of color and allies to protest the racism and hostile climate at SCSU. In resolving this strike, the SCSU administration agreed to address “Thirteen Demands” one of which was a request for the creation of a Multicultural Resource Center in the library. Space in the Miller Center was provided in 2004. The first full time director and associate director began in 2005.