The Only Alternative: Exploring the Black Experience at Ball State

Within the confines of a Predominantly White Institution, many of the issues affecting underrepresented populations on campus are not acknowledged unless they are brought into the light by a major news outlet, protest, or tragedy. In the hopes of progressing with the student body, many universities in the late 1960s opted for Black cultural centers to help alleviate and address the stressors faced by those students and enacted change on campus to accommodate all students' needs better. At Ball State, this became the Multicultural Center. Once created, the platform would allow underrepresented student populations the funding and support to vocalize their needs and enact a cultural shift of positive progress in an academic setting. As time went on, the impact of Ball State’s Multicultural Center grew exponentially leading us to its significant presence on campus today in its newly unveiled building. Each student organization housed in the Center has been supported from meeting spaces to funding events, allowing a safe space for students to connect and grow. Throughout this research, I showcase stories about how the Center has allowed Black students to be their authentic selves. The presence of traditionally underrepresented groups in the heart of campus gives new life to the ongoing celebration of diversity on Ball State’s campus.

Keywords: Black History, Middletown, Ball State University, Muncie, Predominantly
White Institutions, African-Americans of Indiana, Public History,
Multicultural Center