Black Excellence Campaign seeks to raise $50,000 from Black donors over next two months

From the Black Excellence Campaign

Madison, Wis.—August 25, 2021— For decades, Madison has longed for a cultural space “for the Black community, by the Black community.” With the announcement of the Black Excellence Campaign, the forthcoming Center for Black Excellence and Culture (The Center) is one step closer to making that a reality.

Announced in September 2020, The Center is poised to provide the Black population of Madison and beyond a space to gather, celebrate, learn, develop and grow. The Black Excellence Campaign, active through Oct. 15, invites Madison’s Black community to lead the fundraising effort to create that space. A public capital campaign for the project is slated to follow in the months after the conclusion of the Black Excellence Campaign.

To recognize the historical significance of these foundational donors, The Center will feature a physical structure with the names of all who contribute to the Campaign.

“It’s incredibly meaningful that the Black community will lead the way in creating a space that we’ve been craving for so long,” said Lilada Gee, co-chair of the Black Excellence Campaign. “Seeing these names – Black names – in The Center will be a permanent celebration of the Black excellence that paved the way in making it a reality.”

The Black Excellence Campaign Committee is another illustration of the project’s Black leadership, consisting of four Black women: Gee, co-chair Frances Huntley Cooper, Kirby Mack and Keisha Bozeman. And while the Committee would like the project’s first $50,000 to come from Black people in the community, donations are welcomed from those residing beyond Madison or even Wisconsin.

The Campaign also encourages donors to give in honor of loved ones, such as children or elders, and as memorial gifts for those who have passed.

“We want this to be a cross-generational effort,” said Gee. “Whether it’s our ancestors who may have never set foot in Madison or our children who will walk the halls of The Center and see their names on the wall a decade from now – this is for all of us.”

Located prominently at the Park Street entrance on the city’s historic south side, The Center will showcase the excellence of the Black community in Madison and beyond. The Center will have space dedicated to theater, art, a Black Center for Innovation and Leadership, a youth and student center and more.

Donors can give to the Black Excellence Campaign at https://www.theblackcenter.org/black-excellence-campaign/. For more information about The Center, visit https://www.theblackcenter.org/

About The Center for Black Excellence and Culture:
The Center for Black Excellence and Culture (The Center) will answer the decades-long absence of cultural space to celebrate and advance Dane County’s Black community. Located on 3.5 acres on the 700 block of West Badger Road, The Center will be a physical place where Dane County’s Black residents and others throughout the community can gather to plan for and celebrate current and future growth and advancement.

Specifically, The Center will: Foster a sense of family and community; Celebrate and teach Black culture; Pay tribute to Black history; Nurture and develop Black business and community leaders; Attract, connect and retain Black talent; and Provide the space for conversation, connection and growth.