MU Welcomes Ambassador Andrew Young to Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at New Intercultural Center
Mariella Angeles
On Sept. 29 MU hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Intercultural Center. Ambassador Andrew Young, who was married to Jean Childs Young (whom the Intercultural Center is named for) cut the ribbon for the ceremony. Young is a former ambassador of the United Nations. His credentials not only include being the first black mayor of Atlanta, GA, but he also held a friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., and was involved in the civil rights movement.
When Young started to speak at the podium, he praised his wife, Jean and her involvement with Manchester. He told a story that symbolizes Jean. “When we came here from Georgia, we ran into what looked like a thousand Klansmen but really maybe only a hundred Klansmen, with sheets and pointed caps, and I said to Jean that I will go talk to them but you go behind the window and get a rifle and point it at the guy I’m talking to so I can negotiate from a position of strength.” He continued to say that Jean could not do that and that she could not point a gun at a human being. He mentions that Jean said: “Under the pointed cap and sheet is a person with a heart and is a child of God.”
The new Center encompasses and represents students from multiple countries and cultures. The building broke ground early 2018 and finally reached completion this fall. It features an exhibit honoring Jean Young and her exceptional career as an educator.
The building also holds a multipurpose room—the Toyota Round—for events. There is a “living room-esque” space that can be used for any and all sorts of gatherings, a library that houses resources, and a computer lab that is available for the use and utilization of students. A kitchen and dining area are also housed in the building.
Several clubs and student associations use this building as their meeting place. The Asian Awareness Association, African Students Association, Black Student Union, Hispanos Unidos, and the Manchester University International Association of United Sexualities and Genders club.
The building represents unity and mingling of the different cultures. It is considered a place where MU’s international students, or indeed any student, can find an inviting place and learn from and with one another.
Overall, this Center is to help further enhance Manchester’s dedication to graduating individuals with ability and conviction and to be aware of the differences each person holds, the focus of the Center is to have students use it and not only be diverse but be inclusive.