Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change
Who We Are - Collective CCUSC Statement
Founded as a direct result of campus activism, the UIC Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) work collectively to produce knowledge and shift university culture, validating the multidimensional lived experiences of historically and currently excluded communities. Informed by social justice frameworks, the Centers support students, faculty, and staff as they build a strong identity and sense of belonging, becoming change agents for a more just campus and society. The Centers connect our communities and design intercultural and engaged-learning opportunities, student mentorship programs, cultural programming, advocacy, collaborative research, and community partnerships. Through these efforts, the Centers expand the educational and transformational mission of UIC.
Love the staff @ all centers! My favorite part of college has been the Heritage Garden learning how all injustices are interconnected. Thank you for providing a safe space, yummy food, and community.
UIC Heritage Garden CCUSC Signature Program
CCUSC
Use the tabs below to find more information on each center.
1. Arab American Cultural Center
Established by student-led efforts in 2016, the Arab American Cultural Center (ArabAmCC) is the first Arab-based cultural center on a college campus in the United States. It seeks to affirm the diverse needs of Arab American students, increase awareness of Arab American and Muslim American cultures and histories, and build community, solidarity, and brave spaces to promote social justice and equality and to cherish cultural diversity.
2. Asian American Resource and Cultural Center
The Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) opened in the spring of 2005 as a result of student efforts to ensure that UIC supports the needs of Asian Americans. AARCC promotes the intellectual and personal growth of UIC students, staff, and faculty; advocates for greater access, equity, and inclusion of Asian Americans; and educates the UIC community about Asian Americans.
3. Black Cultural Center
Founded in 1990, the Black Cultural Center (BCC) is a place to gather, learn, share, and explore the diverse histories, cultures, and arts of people of African descent in the United States and around the world. The BCC is dedicated to building a supportive community for Black students and exploring the vibrant and diverse cultures that make up the African Diaspora. Four pillars guide the BCC: Building Community, Exploring the Diaspora, Celebrating our Cultures, and Envisioning Justice.
4. Disability Cultural Center
The Disability Cultural Center (DCC) was established as one of UIC’s seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change in the Spring of 2018. One of the first centers of its kind, the DCC owes its existence to campus activism. The DCC is dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging for disabled people, exploring interlocking social justice struggles, and centering disabled creativity and wisdom to imagine more accessible, just futures. Moving beyond purely medicalized, individualizing takes on disability, the DCC is grounded in understandings of disability that recognize it as a site for community, identity, activism, and culture.
5. Gender and Sexuality Center
Through the production, curation, and preservation of intersectional LGBTQIA+ culture, we aim to activate critical thinking, learning, and action on campus and beyond. The GSC offers engaged learning, advocacy, and community building for students, faculty, staff, and community members. Underlying the Center’s work is an understanding of intersecting identities and the multiple layers of diversity within LGBTQIA+ identities, including race, ethnicity, class, disability, geography, immigration status, religious/spiritual affiliation, and many more. The GSC’s programs are designed to cultivate student success, promote research, expand opportunities for intercultural engagement, and build robust community partnerships.
6. Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center
The Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC) engages campus and local communities to deepen understanding of the diverse cultural heritages and identities of Latines, issues affecting their lives, and creative solutions they are using to improve community life. The LCC offers engaged learning co-curricular opportunities that feature cultural and artistic expressions, intercultural and civic dialogues, scholarly presentations, and first-voice stories.
7. Women's Leadership and Resource Center
Through institutional interventions, support, advocacy, and education, our mission at the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center (WLRC) is to create a welcoming and equitable environment in which women can pursue their educational and career aspirations, free from institutional barriers, oppression, and violence.
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COLLECTIVE IMPACT 2024 - 2025
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50 Years of History, Since 1976
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16,745 Program Attendees & Visitors
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428 Cultural Programs & Engagements
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92 Community Partnership Engagements
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70 Interns/Student Employees
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53 Collaborations with UIC Student Organizations
