Fostering Community and Social Change since 1989 

Cultural Center Brochure

"My experience [with the Cultural Center] changed my life and continues to shape my future in ways I never realized would happen. As an immigrant, my work with immigrants in New York reminds me that my ability to be secure in my identity, and that my experiences of xenophobia, racism, etc. is largely influenced by my entry into those topics/conversations in the U.S.--i.e. the Cultural Center."  -- R. Kidvai, F03, as shared in F10.

Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center's Mission
To serve better and retain students of color and international students, the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center provides a range of programs and resources to support and promote the success of students of color and international students at Hampshire College.   

Additionally, the center provides programs and resources to the larger campus community for engagement in issues related to race, culture, and under-representation, with the underlying goal to effect social change.

We enhance our longstanding commitment to community and social change by:

• providing and advocating for services, programs, and resources that assist international students and students of color for a successful transition to, matriculation at, and graduation from Hampshire College
• offering services, programs, and resources that foster academic success among international students and students of color
• ensuring a space for multicultural community building, individual expression, and the exchange of ideas
• fostering leadership skills for multicultural competence for students of color, international students, and multicultural student groups
• continually examining the fluidity of race, culture, and identity; specifically examining how race and culture intersect with other social identities and their impact on one’s view of self and of the world
• serving as a campus partner in promoting multicultural competence through community engagement on topics related to race, culture, and under-representation.

Office of Multicultural and International Student Services
The office of multicultural and international student services (MISS) is housed in the Cultural Center. MISS provides a network of comprehensive services and innovative programs that support and advance the intellectual, personal, cultural, and social development of students of color and international students. 413.559.5461

International Student Advising
MISS assists international students with U.S. immigration and employment regulations, cross-cultural adjustment, and much more. Call 559.5779 for more information.

The Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center and MISS are part of the department of community advocacy in the division of student life.

Overview of Programs and Resources
The Cultural Center organizes programs and resources that specifically address the needs of students of color and international students. The center also provides programs and resources for the larger campus community to increase awareness on issues of race, culture, and under-representation. 

At the Cultural Center, we recognize students come to Hampshire with their own terms of self-identity and will soon be placed in a new environment where identity will take on different terms and meanings. The Cultural Center aims to help students of color and international students navigate through that phenomenon.

The Peer Mentorship Program matches incoming students of color and international students with continuing students of color and international students to help with acclimation to life at Hampshire College.

The SCIENCES Network for students of color and international students who are interested in and/or concentrating in Natural Science or Cognitive Science provides academic and professional resources. The SCIENCES Network is affiliated with the Hampshire Women, Minority, and International Scientists profile site.

The Mitziko Sawada Resource Library offers a multitude of books, magazines, articles, and videos focused on multiculturalism and social justice as well as video and print archives related to SOURCE and the Cultural Center.

The Kahlo Gallery (named after artist Frida Kahlo) runs exhibits and programs centered on under-represented artists and the theme of under-representation.

The annual ASK for Social Justice program seeks to increase attitudes, skills, and knowledge on issues related to social justice.

The International Student Orientation each semester addresses the particular needs of international students and addresses immigration and work issues, as well as adjustment to life in a new country.

The International Student Host Family Program matches incoming international students with a staff or faculty member to provide additional support far from home.

Multicultural student groups that fall under the coalition of SOURCE (Students of Under-Represented Cultures and Ethnicities) meet at the Cultural Center. Currently, there are nine SOURCE groups who serve the following populations: indigenous; mixed heritage; queer people of color; international students; Asian/Asian American; Latino/a American; African/African American; international; James Baldwin Scholars; women of color; and international women. The student groups, along with the Cultural Center, have historically organized a number of successful initiatives that look at community building, campus awareness, and institutional change on topics related to race, under-representation, and social justice.

Additional Cultural Center programs include faculty talks, writing workshops, internship search workshops, study nights, film screenings, heritage month events, a newsletter, open houses, dialogues, speakers, and musical performances.

If you have an idea for a program or would like to explore further a topic related to the center's mission, please give us a call at the Cultural Center or stop by!

Naming the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center
On October 26, 1989, SOURCE officially announced the name of the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center. The center was named after Lolita Lebrón, Ronald Wiggins, and Dith Pran because of their contributions to the struggles of Latino/Latina American, African/African American, and Asian/Asian American communities.

Lolita Lebrón was an important figure in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Movement. In 1954, the movement made its final attempt to free Puerto Rico from U.S. colonialism through militaristic tactics. Lebrón and her compadres proclaimed "Free Puerto Rico Now," as they injured five U.S. Congressman. She was arrested for this action and spent twenty-five years in the United States as a political prisoner.

Roland Wiggins was a music professor at Hampshire College and a pioneer in the area of education for Black children.

Dith Pran was a survivor of war-torn Cambodia. He was the subject of the highly praised film The Killing Fields. Pran, with his unique perspective on the Far East and America, was a spokesman for Cambodian refugees around the world.