The AAACC has enjoyed a long and storied history in San Francisco.

In July 1989, Supervisor Willie B. Kennedy forwarded a resolution to the Board of Supervisors that urged the Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco to consider the sale or long-term lease of the Western Addition Cultural Center to better reflect the needs of the community in terms of programming, management and operations. The resolution passed unanimously.

Ms. Geraldine Johnson helped shape the preliminary draft legislation and efforts began in earnest to forge a new entity – a cultural center that would serve the community for generations to come. The community turned to the leadership of the Wajumbe Cultural Institution, Inc., and the San Francisco African American Historical Society – two of the oldest African American cultural organizations in San Francisco. A new non-profit corporation was formed in 1989 – the Center for African and African American Art and Culture. Since then, the name of the center has changed, but our mission and values remain the same: to provide a space in San Francisco and beyond for cross-cultural understanding through the celebration of African and African American experiences and history. [more]