The University of Colorado System recently announced a $2 million investment in the Center for African & African American Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.
“I’m so happy my office can help support this amazing center. It was created through impressive student and faculty collaboration. It’s really a special place because it is simultaneously academic, research, and student life centered,” said University of Colorado System President Todd Saliman. “It helps to build knowledge and the learner while it also builds community—and that’s what we are all about.”
Founded in 2021, the center supports teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement focused on the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of people of African descent. Thanks to its new funding, the center will receive sustained support for programs, student services, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships over the next five years.
“CAAAS is a young, growing, vibrant center that serves all of CU Boulder and connects to the community in Boulder and across the state,” said University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “This investment allows the center to continue meeting its mission to support students, faculty, staff, and outreach commitments to the state as we look toward CU Boulder’s next 150 years.”
Reiland Rabaka, founding director of the Center for African & African American studies, added, “I’m grateful to everyone who believed in the idea before it was fully formed. Every year, we push ourselves to do a little more for Colorado. It isn’t always easy, and it certainly isn’t inexpensive, but the work matters. I don’t just want a center, I want a world-class center. A beacon of hope, a sanctuary, a powerful and beloved community committed to research, scholarship, and the stubborn belief that anything is possible.”
