‘You Belong Here:’ Bowman Center Offers Space Dedicated to Black Student Success

A new addition to Dominican University’s River Forest campus this year serves both as a welcoming student space and a tribute to an influential Catholic Sister who championed racial and social justice.

The Bowman Center, a space dedicated to Black student success, opened during the Fall 2025 semester in the lower level of Lewis Hall. A branch of the Center for Cultural Liberation, it is named in recognition of Sr. Thea Bowman, a teacher, scholar and musician who was the first African American woman to take vows with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

The center is a place for quiet study, community and conversation, while ensuring all students see themselves as belonging within the university, said Ana Kelsey-Powell, associate director for Black Student Initiatives at Dominican University.

“The Bowman Center really exists as a space for Black and African American students to gather—not just in what we traditionally call a ‘safe space,’ but in a space to talk about issues of identity and culture,” she noted. “It also allows them to see themselves as integral to our campus.”

In a message to the community, President Dr. Glena G. Temple called the center a “critical institutional investment.”

“A Black student success center provides dedicated space that says clearly: ‘You belong here. Your identity, culture and brilliance are central—not an afterthought,’” Temple said. “This institutional gesture is essential for combatting racial isolation and creating conditions where students feel seen, valued and supported.”

The Bowman Center is the realization of students who, through the last few years, have advocated for a place where Black students can gather in community, Kelsey-Powell said.

One of these students was Jada Coleman ’20, MCR ’22, now an adjunct professor at Dominican and a member of a service-based professional organization advocating for social, health and economic justice. Coleman joined members of the organization’s local chapter in donating books, wall art, puzzles, games and other items to help launch the center.

“Having a space that is specifically for Black students in 2026 is huge,” said Coleman, who, as a student, created the Phenomenal Women Chapter of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club at DU. “For Black students, the Bowman Center is their sense of community, their safe space, and I love that Ana and her team have made it a possibility for them.”

In addition to a study and gathering space, the center is used for meetings among student groups like The Village leadership development program, Beloved Community faith formation fellowship, and Pillars Scholars.

The granddaughter of enslaved people, Sr. Thea Bowman was born in Mississippi in 1937 and converted to Catholicism at a young age. As a Franciscan Sister, she taught at several Catholic colleges before being named a consultant on intercultural issues for the diocese of Jackson, Mississippi.

A founding member of the National Black Sisters’ Conference, Sr. Thea is remembered for her activism aimed at racial and social justice and for bringing Catholic ministry to Black communities.

There is an active movement to see Sr. Thea canonized as a saint.

George Adawan, a Pillars Scholar and a member of the Black Student Union at Dominican, said Bowman is an influential figure for students.

“For me, Sr. Thea Bowman reminds me of my mom, a strong Black woman,” Adawan said. “I have a lot of female friends, and I know it’s important for them to have a role model and representation.”