AFRICAN CULTURAL CENTER OF BUFFALO INC
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Mission Statement
The African Cultural Center is a not for profit multipurpose arts & educational organization dedicated to promoting, sponsoring and developing an appreciation of and allegiance to African American heritage - and to enhancing social behavior among African American youth through multi-disciplinary training in the arts and education.
About This Cause
For over half a century, the African American Cultural Center has been dedicated to the development of urban Buffalo to its highest potential, has served as a protectorate of the African American experience, a bastion of cultural heritage, and a champion of African American youth and young adults in the City of Buffalo. Founded in 1958 by Malcolm Erni – a young evangelist with Caribbean roots and a devout faith in the virtue of his African ancestry – the Center was conceived as a cultural and spiritual sanctuary for young people. In the more than 58 years the AACC has served Buffalo families, and its mission remains unchanged. Its strategic objectives are to: Generate an interest in the history of the African Diaspora Enhance the knowledge of youth regarding their African ancestry Provide multi-faceted programs to educate and re-educate the uninformed and misinformed regarding the history of Africans in America Replace stereotypical myth with positive imagery Deploy knowledge, creativity, discipline and innovation as a vehicle for learning about African and African American history From the past to the present and into the future, the African American Cultural Center, Inc. remains committed to awakening in all a consciousness of the cultural contributions understanding of cultural diversity in Buffalo and New York State through its core programs and services: The Paul Robeson Theatre at the African American Cultural Center is divinely diverse theatre that never disappoints. Its stage repertoire runs from rousing musical biographies to poignant historical dramas to sidesplitting parodies that celebrate both the unique African American experience and the common threads that make us human. The PRT is the oldest African American theatre in Western New York. Founded in 1968 – and named for multi-talented Harlem Renaissance actor and scholar Paul Busti Robeson – it remains dedicated to nurturing and showcasing the artistic talents of African American playwrights, directors, actors, and stage technicians. Now in its 48th year the Paul Robeson Theatre is defining strategies to target youth ages 18-25 years old, and introduce a new generation to live theatre. The AACC Dance & Drum Performing Company both entertains and enlightens audiences to the depth of African culture in America. Fundamentally a repertory troupe, it is the first and oldest African American dance company in the City of Buffalo – and among the first regional performing arts companies to establish a base of recognition for an exclusively African American art form. Since it began in 1958, the Company, which includes both children and adult components, has performed traditional West African drum and dance before an estimated 300,000 people in New York, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Canada. The AACC Dance & Drum Performing Company offers classes for children and adults, and is available for live performances. The AACC Cultural Enrichment Program is designed to cultivate and optimize the untapped potential of the African American community and other diverse neighborhoods that often are under-served by mainstream infrastructure. Its curriculum is carefully designed to motive personal growth and includes instruction in African Dance, African Drumming, Theatre, Creative Arts and History, among other subjects. The Educational Directives for After School Program enriches academic and social development. Curriculum consists of homework hour, life skill workshops and creative activity in an environment that promotes positive learning and character growth. Educational Directives is designed to increase the grade levels of students reading below their grade level. Students will be given pre-and post-test assessment to determine grade level proficiency upon entry into the program and their progress during the course of the program. Participants will be taught the Word Smart curriculum, letter recognitions, letter sounds, blends and diagraphs, rhyming skills, phonemic awareness phonics decoding, reading competency and high frequency words. Positive Productive Sisters (PPS) a self esteem, confident community awareness mentoring program for young ladies between the ages of 12-17. Encouraging higher education, respect for family, community, and self preservation. This program offers workshops, film, community outings, volunteering in hospitals, senior centers, schools, church to name a few. They stand by its motto, “The choices I make today will affect me and my future”. The African American Cultural Center keeps children creatively entertained, culturally enlightened and educationally motivated during the summer month with its Jumpin’ Jambalaya Summer Program. Each June through August, Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 5:30pm, the eight to nine week day camp serves City of Buffalo families with children ages 6 through 12. All children receive instruction in African & Ball Room Dance, African Drumming, Theatre, Chorus and Etiquette/Health. The curriculum also features “electives” such as Library Resource Hour, Storytelling, Spelling Bees, cooking, sewing and other special projects – photography, journalism, creative arts and special field trips selected by the participants. The camp ends with the traditional AACC Unity Day, a family celebration of what the children learned over the summer. For two weekends each August, in keeping with its founding mission, the Center presents The Pine Grill Jazz Reunion I & II to honor the local, national and international artists who carry the jazz tradition forward. Held in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in the heart of Buffalo, the over 5,000 attendees attend a free concert that celebrates diversity through tribute to its truest African form – the legacy of jazz. From year to year, the AACC Pine Grill Jazz Reunions are a much anticipated event that draws together Buffalonians past and present, and attracts new visitors, to bring alive old memories and make new ones under the Buffalo summer sky. In 2016 the Center will celebrate a 58 year history; it is committed to the underserved inner city population and can point out its success stories. Success stories can be measured when the agency has been given the opportunity to serve second, third and fourth generations. The opportunity to nurture the young people in our community who have moved on to college, and have become lawyers, educators, professional artists, administers to give back what has been given to them that enriched their lives. We serve as a pass-through for organizations and special projects such as: Juneteenth, Colored Musicians Club, Masten District Jazz, Takin it to the Streets, Mohammed School of Music, Caribbean Festival, Gospelfest, Kwanzaa Celebration, MadDads, Stop the Violence Coalition, Back to Basics, Meals on Wheels, Board of Block Clubs, Viva La Cosa, just to name a few. The African American Cultural Center’s program provides a community base approach to problems such as truancy, suspension, dropping out of school, violence and provides specific skills to assist youth in coping successfully in an educational/social/professional setting. It is the AACC’s belief that when young people are given a structure that supports them toward achievement and allows for free expression through an arts education program there is public purpose and there will be a positive impact. All recent research in the area of at risk students supports the positive impact of the arts in learning. The program will offer opportunities to build local capacity to improve and expand services that addresses the needs of our participants. We believe the important results or outcome will lend itself to replication and enhance chances to provide more opportunities to at risk individuals. The AACC model strengthens and makes a tremendous impact on the development growth of each participant and has proven to help level the “learning field” across socio economic boundaries. We have a long history of collaborations with community cultural arts and social institutions and the surrounding school districts especially the Buffalo Public Schools, and have developed in approach to arts education which is collaborative. It is our expectations that individuals will develop greater responsibility; understand the need for discipline and what is required for successful achievement. We are the “gatekeeper to urban generations”