The Austin Community College District in Texas has dedicated the Roland C. Hayes African American Cultural Center in honor of one of its founding faculty members.
Hayes, the founding director of the African American Culture Center, has been a faculty member at Austin Community College since 1973, when the college first opened its doors. Over the course of his 52-year tenure, he has taught courses on African American studies and U.S. history. He is an advocate for social awareness, educational opportunity, and the preservation of African American history and culture.
“This College is better because of Roland Hayes,” says Austin Community College Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart. “For more than 50 years, he has poured his heart into students and into this community, always believing in what people can become when they’re given opportunity and support. His legacy lives on in the doors ACC continues to open, and in the way we show up for students every day. It’s an honor to celebrate someone who helped shape the soul of this college.”
Outside of his work at Austin Community College, Hayes serves as board president at the Texas Empowerment Academy, a K-12 charter school serving families in the Austin area. In 2024, the school named its North Austin location after Hayes.
Hayes is a graduate of historically Black Langston University in Oklahoma, where he double-majored in history and sociology. He holds a master’s degree in African American studies from Michigan State University.
