The Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture is coming home after nearly two years following the flooding of their space by a burst water pipe. To staff and students, who have made do with temporary quarters during that period, the return to Flowers Building is a moment to celebrate.
Friday, March 29, is declared Mary Lou Day, and the celebration will begin at 2 p.m. in the Koman Assembly Room, 217 Perkins Library, with speakers both from Duke and the Durham community. Afterwards, participants will move to the Mary Lou Williams Center in Flowers Building at 3 p.m. for a ribbon cutting, followed by a reception with refreshments and jazz music.
Williams, a legendary jazz pianist and composer who performed with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and other jazz greats, came to Duke in 1977 as its first artist-in-residence and director of the jazz ensemble. She died in 1981. Two years later, Duke named the new Center for Black Culture in her honor.
Over the next four decades, the center played a vital role in supporting Black students and building community across the campus. “It was a small space, but an active space. It was a rich environment,” said Maureen Cullins, current director of the School of Medicine’s Multicultural Resource Center.
After the flooding in 2022, the center has functioned in temporary quarters in the Bryan Center. It returns to its traditional two-floor, 4,900-square foot space, which has been renovated to give a more modern and functional feel. That’s important because the center serves multiple purposes, including meeting space, housing exhibits and showcasing performances.
While March 29 will be about reopening the center, it begins a month of events during the Duke Centennial focused on the life and legacy of Williams.
- On Saturday, April 13, the Duke Wind Symphony will perform Williams’ last composition, “History …,” which was discovered and completed by Duke music professor Anthony Kelley. The discovery and premiere of the composition, which Williams was working on at her death in 1981, has already attracted attention in the music community and the media. The concert will be at 8 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium.
- The following day, the Duke Chapel Choir will be joined by the N.C. Central Vocal Jazz Ensemble and guest artists for a concert honoring “Our First Lady of Jazz.” The performance features a range of Black sacred music, from vocal jazz and gospel to spirituals, classical, and the blues. The free performance will be at 4 p.m. April 14 in Duke Chapel.
