History

The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center (BJJBCC) was dedicated in 1984 in memory of the first African American student admitted to Vanderbilt in 1953. (Joseph Johnson earned the Bachelor of Divinity and the Ph.D. degrees from Vanderbilt in 1954 and 1958, respectively.)

Affectionately termed "The House" by Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff, the Johnson Black Cultural Center provides educational and cultural programming on the Black experience for the University and Nashville communities. Additionally, the Center serves as a "home away from home" for students.

During the dedication ceremony for the Johnson Black Cultural Center, Chancellor-Emeritus Joe B. Wyatt affirmed the following: "One unique aspect of a university is that it is never allowed finishing touches; its challenge always is one of laying new foundations, building upon those foundations, reaping the benefits and laying still more foundations. Few new foundations will be more important for the University's future than our own iron-willed commitment to develop the opportunity for Black students to benefit from their experience at Vanderbilt, and for Vanderbilt to benefit from Black students' presence on campus." The dedication of The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center represented that new foundation.