Weber State University closed the doors on its various cultural centers after House Bill 261 took effect in the summer of 2024. The campus culture centers aimed to connect people with similar backgrounds and to provide a safe space for marginalized communities.
Even with the centers closed, the impact they had on staff and students is still felt on campus. Weber State’s Special Collections & University Archives department is working to collect the oral histories of those who visited the centers in order to document their impact.
SCUA collects oral histories from people all over Ogden and surrounding areas. The histories collected a range of topics, such as LGBTQ history, the impact of women on Weber State and the stories of immigrants living in the Ogden area.
“Connecting Weber: History of the Cultural Centers” is the department’s current project to collect the histories of the cultural centers. Kandice Harris, archival coordinator for SCUA, hopes this collection will capture the impact the centers had on students.
“We’re just trying to gather stories of people who have either worked or used the centers — what their favorite memories are and what the impact is with the centers now closed,” Harris said.
The project is still looking for more participants to share their experiences with the centers.
“Most of our questions are going to be geared towards their experiences with the centers, and those have been all positive,” Harris said. “One gentleman that we interviewed said he didn’t really find his community until he went to one of the centers. It was the Black Cultural Center, and he was able to connect with people that way.”
Many of the interviewed participants found safety and security within the community centers. Others found themselves able to explore their authentic selves within the community provided by the centers.
“Community means you have a place that’s safe — you have a place where you feel like you belong,” one participant said. “You feel like you have a place that is judgment-free, that people accept you for who you are — not in spite of your differences, or your past, or whatnot. They accept you 100% authentically.”
Though the centers are closed, the community they provided is still out there for students looking for a support system. One example of this is Weber State’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization focused on achieving equality and social inclusion for Black people and all people of color.
Weber State’s chapter of the NAACP holds events that help empower Black students and help create a community. One upcoming event is their Roots and Radiance Expo on Feb. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Atrium. This event will feature local Black-owned businesses and organizations located in the Ogden area.
Students looking to volunteer and be directly involved in the community can volunteer to help tutor students at Project Success every Tuesday from 4:30-7 p.m. at the Project Success office, located at 2909 Washington Blvd. Volunteers will get an opportunity to tutor students from elementary to high school, creating an opportunity to be directly involved in the community.