About us
Preserving Yesterday’s Stories to Power Tomorrow’s Voices
The African American Arts and Culture Community Center (AAACCC) was established as a vital institution to address the critical need for a centralized, dedicated space where the profound and often underrepresented contributions of African Americans to global culture could be housed, studied, and celebrated openly. Our organization overview reflects a commitment that extends far beyond simple preservation; we are actively engaged in promoting this heritage as a dynamic, evolving force in contemporary life, using history not as a static subject but as a living source of inspiration. We host everything from master classes taught by renowned African American artists to accessible history workshops designed for local youth, positioning the center as an anchor institution for education, artistic development, and cross-cultural dialogue within the Stockton area and beyond. We operate on the principle that providing direct, authentic access to these cultural forms empowers individuals, strengthens community identity, and builds bridges of understanding between diverse populations, making our work indispensable to the social fabric of the region.
Our Story
From a Shared Vision to a Community Hub
The Origin and History of Our Cultural Movement
The genesis of the African American Arts and Culture Community Center lies in a dedicated collective of local educators, artists, and community elders who recognized the urgent need for a protected and celebratory space for their heritage in the Stockton area. The initial concept began over two decades ago, fueled by grassroots organizing and a series of smaller, sporadic cultural events that consistently demonstrated the community’s profound hunger for a permanent home for African American history and creativity. These founding members spent years painstakingly gathering oral histories, acquiring foundational art collections, and developing a curriculum that reflected both local and national narratives, ensuring that the organization was built on a solid foundation of academic rigor and communal trust. This initial phase, marked by immense dedication and volunteer effort, established the foundational ethos of the Center: a place built by the community, for the community, dedicated to preserving truths and promoting excellence in the arts.
What We Do
Cultivating Creativity, Community, and Cultural Fluency
The Origin and History of Our Cultural Movement
The genesis of the African American Arts and Culture Community Center lies in a dedicated collective of local educators, artists, and community elders who recognized the urgent need for a protected and celebratory space for their heritage in the Stockton area. The initial concept began over two decades ago, fueled by grassroots organizing and a series of smaller, sporadic cultural events that consistently demonstrated the community’s profound hunger for a permanent home for African American history and creativity. These founding members spent years painstakingly gathering oral histories, acquiring foundational art collections, and developing a curriculum that reflected both local and national narratives, ensuring that the organization was built on a solid foundation of academic rigor and communal trust. This initial phase, marked by immense dedication and volunteer effort, established the foundational ethos of the Center: a place built by the community, for the community, dedicated to preserving truths and promoting excellence in the arts.
Programs/Services
Tailored Cultural Education Across All Ages
The African American Arts and Culture Community Center provides culturally rich and developmentally appropriate programming for a comprehensive range of age groups, ensuring that the legacy of African American arts and history is accessible to all members of the family, from the earliest stages of cognitive development through adulthood. Our “Future Voices” program is tailored for pre-K and early elementary students (ages 4-7), utilizing movement, rhythm, and simplified storytelling to introduce foundational concepts of culture and identity, making learning a joyful, sensory experience. The “Rising Artists” cohort (ages 8-12) introduces more structured technical skills in music, visual arts, and drama, combined with basic historical timeline studies, fostering a sense of mastery and discipline in a supportive setting. For teens (ages 13-17) in the “Legacy Leaders” program, we offer advanced, portfolio-building master classes and mentorship in specific disciplines like digital media and theatrical production, integrating social commentary and deeper historical research into their creative work to prepare them for higher education and career paths. Finally, our robust adult and senior programming includes archival research workshops, oral history preservation seminars, and community performance ensembles, fostering lifelong learning and intergenerational cultural exchange.
Connect with the Center
We Are Here to Answer Your Questions and Welcome Your Visit
The African American Arts and Culture Community Center is committed to being an accessible and responsive resource for our community, and we encourage you to connect with us through the method that is most convenient for you, whether you are seeking enrollment information, details about our archival holdings, or opportunities to collaborate. We have multiple channels available to ensure your inquiry is routed to the appropriate team member promptly, whether you prefer to correspond via email for detailed questions, speak directly to a staff member over the phone, or correspond via traditional mail for official documentation and correspondences. Our dedicated Community Engagement team monitors all channels during business hours, and we strive to acknowledge and address all inquiries within 48 hours, ensuring that your experience with the Center’s administrative services is as professional and helpful as our programmatic offerings.
Primary Contact Methods
For general inquiries, enrollment questions, program details, and media requests, please use the following contact information:
Email Correspondence:
General Inquiries: info@aacc.lat (This is the fastest way to reach our team)
Address :PO BOX 7366 Stockton, CA 95212
Join Us
Invest Your Career in Cultural Excellence
The African American Arts and Culture Community Center offers much more than just a job; we offer the profound opportunity to invest your professional skills, artistic passion, and intellectual curiosity into a mission-driven environment that is actively shaping the cultural and educational landscape of the community. We are continually seeking highly qualified, dedicated, and culturally fluent professionals across a spectrum of disciplines, including teaching artists specializing in African American and African diaspora arts, experienced administrative and operations staff, development and grant writing experts, and archival specialists committed to historical preservation. Working here means joining a team that values both professional rigor and personal passion, where your contributions directly translate into empowering young people and preserving an invaluable cultural legacy, offering competitive salaries and benefits alongside unparalleled job satisfaction rooted in tangible community impact. We look for individuals who are not just competent but are deeply committed to our core values of Reverence, Creativity, and Excellence, and who are excited by the prospect of contributing to a living, growing cultural institution.