Our Mission

Known as the Afro House, this space provides a supportive and inclusive environment and programs for all students, faculty, staff to excel in their endeavors, learn from one another, make positive choices, and serve their communities.

Support the African-American Cultural Center

Location and hours

Monday - Thursday from Noon - 9:00 p.m.
Friday: Noon - 5:00 p.m.

303 Melrose Ave
Iowa City, IA 52242
Email: misse-team@uiowa.edu

house at 303 Melrose Ave

Amenities

The Center is available for programming and as a venue for University of Iowa student organizations’ events.  It is equipped with: a fully-stocked kitchen, a living and dining room, game and study rooms, a library, wireless internet (Netflix, Pandora)  computer and printers for our patrons to use, TVs, DVD players, and various board games. Afro House has anything you need to host a program, make a meal, study, or simply relax and socialize with friends!

Black History Month

Black History Month is observed each February in the United States. It originated as "Black History Week" in 1926, scheduled for the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of two key figures in the fight to end slavery: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, a presidential proclamation expanded the observance to the entire month, honoring significant achievements of Black Americans.

The Afro-American Cultural Center sponsors a variety of events and workshops throughout February to recognize Black History Month. These programs highlight historical contributions of Black Americans and provide opportunities for education and dialogue.

Black History Month Events

Urika's Bedroom presented by SCOPE Productions and KRUI promotional image

Urika's Bedroom presented by SCOPE Productions and KRUI

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Gabe's
Urika's Bedroom performing live at Gabe's! No cover, free to the public. Opening DJ set by Andres Mora Mata.
Joshua McCarter Simpson's Train Songs and Speculative Futures promotional image

Joshua McCarter Simpson's Train Songs and Speculative Futures

Friday, February 28, 2025 2:00pm to 3:30pm
English-Philosophy Building
Brigitte Fielder is an Associates Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of Relative Races: Genealogies of Interracial Kinship in Nineteeth-Centiry America (Duke, 2020) and co-author (with Jonathan Senchyne) of Against a Sharp White Background: Infrastructures of African American Print (University of Wisconsin Press, 2019). She is currently writing a book on Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for Oxford University Press's Children's Classics, Critically series...
NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro promotional image

NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro

Saturday, March 8, 2025 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Join us for four discussions of Toni Morrison's Beloved and the exhibition it's a fine thing, led by the Stanley’s curator of special projects and author of What Napoleon Could Not Do, Derek (DK) Nnuro. Register for each session by clicking the dates below, capped at 30 participants:  Feb. 15 (Pages 1 - 59) March 8 (Pages 60 - 195) April 5 (Pages 199 - 277) May 10 (Pages 281 - 324) Iowa City is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the 2023-2024 NEA Big Read. From February...
NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro promotional image

NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro

Saturday, April 5, 2025 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Join us for four discussions of Toni Morrison's Beloved and the exhibition it's a fine thing, led by the Stanley’s curator of special projects and author of What Napoleon Could Not Do, Derek (DK) Nnuro. Register for each session by clicking the dates below, capped at 30 participants:  Feb. 15 (Pages 1 - 59) March 8 (Pages 60 - 195) April 5 (Pages 199 - 277) May 10 (Pages 281 - 324) Iowa City is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the 2023-2024 NEA Big Read. From February...
NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro promotional image

NEA Big Read | Discussion of "Beloved" with DK Nnuro

Saturday, May 10, 2025 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Join us for four discussions of Toni Morrison's Beloved and the exhibition it's a fine thing, led by the Stanley’s curator of special projects and author of What Napoleon Could Not Do, Derek (DK) Nnuro. Register for each session by clicking the dates below, capped at 30 participants:  Feb. 15 (Pages 1 - 59) March 8 (Pages 60 - 195) April 5 (Pages 199 - 277) May 10 (Pages 281 - 324) Iowa City is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the 2023-2024 NEA Big Read. From February...

History

Founded in 1968, the Afro-American Cultural Center (Afro House) was founded to establish a space for Black students from different cultural backgrounds at the University of Iowa. The center provides an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to share their cultural knowledge. The Afro House is a student organization providing programs and a supportive environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

 

Student Staff

Learn more about the student staff currently working at the Afro House!

Hubbard Scholars

Hubbard Scholars exists to create and maintain a healthy community for Black men on campus.