Attendees gather at the grand opening of The Equity Center on Thursday in downtown Anchorage. (Chris Bieri / ADN)

The Equity Center, launched by the Alaska Black Caucus, celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, cutting the ribbon on a facility that aspires to be a comprehensive hub for people of color in the community.

A crowd packed the 600 block of Barrow Street on Thursday night, celebrating the Juneteenth holiday and what caucus President Celeste Hodge Growden said will be a place for people to “connect, innovate and support.”

The building, a 6,000-square-foot, two-story space located at 605 Barrow St., was purchased by the caucus in 2021. Hodge Growden said the space materialized with more than three years of renovations and $3 million of donations and grants.

Attendees pose for a photo at the grand opening of the Equity Center on Thursday. (Chris Bieri / ADN)

The space features office spaces, a conference room, a commercial kitchen and offices for the Alaska Black Caucus.

“We’re really excited we’re going to have a place to get business done,” she said. “This is the heartbeat to so many things — economics, justice and education.”

The sounds of Kool & the Gang poured out of speakers as attendees greeted one another and chatted. Various health and financial organizations had booths lining Barrow Street.

Alaska Black Caucus president Celeste Hodge Growden speaks at the grand opening of The Equity Center on Thursday. (Chris Bieri / ADN)

Hodge Growden said while they have just recently been able to get rolling with programs in the space, the 400 Years of African-American History Commission will be working on their “I Fear For My Life” initiative in the building.

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“We’ve come a long way but there’s still a long way to go,” she said. “We can’t five up the fight and we can’t give up hope. That’s why we come together and there’s going to be a lot of coming together.”

As Hodge Growden introduced the center to the crowd, she spoke passionately about historic health inequities in the Black community.

Ade Akindipe is a nurse practitioner and co-chair of the Alaska Black Caucus health committee.

Ade Akindipe stands at the Alaska Black Caucus table at the grand opening of The Equity Center on Thursday. (Chris Bieri / ADN)

She said the space will allow people to gather and connect, learn and work. Akindipe said the committee is working on sexually transmitted infection awareness, but not having a regular gathering place has been an impediment.

“This is a place where we can hold programs,” she said. “We haven’t really had a place for that. … There are too many silos and we’ve been doing this kind of remotely, virtually on Zoom.”

Having the grand opening on Juneteenth was a perfect fit, according to Akindipe.

“It only made sense,” she said.