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Best Respite on the 40 Acres

The Malcolm X Lounge

Best Respite on the 40 Acres
Shelley Hiam

When their unofficial campus gathering space of the 1980s and ’90s was shut down, black UT students demonstrated and protested publicly. Out of this contested history, the Malcolm X Lounge emerged. Dedicated to providing resources for black students as well as a place to relax and commune, the lounge may be the most radical room on the 40 Acres. It's located in a far corner of the Jester Center, under the Warfield Center for African & African American Studies and past some laconic cafeterias and fast-food joints. A respite for people of color, the lounge is open to all students. Respect: By any means necessary, y'all.