After months of preparation, the folks behind Alamance County's African American Cultural Arts and History Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to commemorate the opening of their new brick-and-mortar headquarters.
Located at 2381 Corporation Parkway in Burlington, the center is best known for compiling and promoting history, particularly African American history, in the community. The organization was the brainchild of Jane Sellars, whose daughter, Shineece Sellars, took over as executive director last year.
It took the Sellars around six months to prepare. Despite having had a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sellars said the headquarters still needs a bit of work.
"It used to be a clothing store, we had to tear down the dressing room," Sellars said, adding that the project was a long time coming. "I'm just excited. It's been a rollercoaster to get this place upgraded."
The space inside the headquarters looks like a sort of museum with various installations depicting different aspects of African American history. Every few months, the center will swap out installations and feature new exhibits.
"I would love to dedicate to more local artists," Sellars said.
Currently, the featured exhibit is comprised of handcrafted Ghanian rugs.
"I'm very excited she was able to step into her mother's footsteps," said Marvin Sellars, Shineece Sellars' father. "I'm just excited and proud of her."
Others who attended Friday's ribbon-cutting echoed Marvin Sellars.
"On a personal note, I can't express how proud I am of Shineece," Nikki Ratliff, of the Burlington Housing Authority, said.
Burlington Mayor Ian Baltutis said the center was an exciting addition to the town.
"How important it is when we talk about preserving history from multiple perspectives," Baltutis said. "One perspective will never get all the details right. We need all those pieces and stories to see how they interplay together to truly understand who we are and where we came from."
Sellars said that things aren't likely to slow down now that they have set up their headquarters.
"I can't say it's going to be easier," Sellars said. "My workload is going to be picked up now.
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Dean-Paul Stephens is a lifelong North Carolina resident who has covered communities throughout the state. He currently covers racial justice in the region. If you have racial justice-related tips send an email to dstephens@gannett.com.
