Talking to the People.....

Hey All,

It's me again here to report my findings to answer my own question about the state of affairs at the MLKCC- is it the rich cultural resource it was intended to be or just another spot on campus grounds? Also, how is this place helping or hindering the relationships between students of all different backrounds?

For the past week I have been interviewing students on campus to find out what they know about the MLKCC. I thought this topic would honestly go in one direction and clearly it is growing a mind of its own. I initially found it fascinating that there wasn't a more cohesive bond, silent or spoken, between the Black student population, or maybe it is just me. I wondered what the correlation was between this meeting place and the relationships we build or don’t with each other. Is that really representative of King’s dream? I thought when I walked the hallways and pathways I would almost be tired from acknowledging my brothers and sisters. I mean it has only been since 1948 that we have even been on this campus, it does seem like the spirits of those that paved the way would still be alive and breathing within its present day representatives.

The contrast is I get 'more love' on the street. So this is where my angst was born. There is something going on that is very different with this generation and unfortunately the MLKCC is where I discovered this great divide. My research will briefly introduce you to four undergrads at UK, who are sophomores or have been here on campus more than two semesters. In addition to the four interviews, there are also mini surveys conducted randomly as I found myself on various parts of the campus, there are forty surveys total. My first interview was conducted in the Fine Arts Library and began rather casually at the copier/printer. Rather quickly my trusty handheld was at my side and a more formal conversation ensued.

Meet J.B., a 20 year old sophomore of Afro-Caribbean descent who was eager to discuss his experience with the MLKCC. "I first heard of the Center from a friend of mine as we were walking to the bookstore, she needed to drop in and asked if I would 'come with'. So I was just hanging out, checking out a couple of fliers and stuff, no big deal, besides a few frat cats there was no one else there and they were involved in their own thing, and really now that I think of it, no one said a word to me. No nods up, no nothing. It was all good with me, I'm not a frat guy, I’m not down with that game and they could probably tell I wasn't impressed by the colors or logos. When my friend was ready, she waved in their direction and I could hear a few responses, but to be honest it was kinda dead, no real love, you know what I mean? I thought it was kinda lame but I really didn’t think about it after it happened, not ‘til you brought it up. I haven’t been back and I really don’t plan to go unless someone invites me.”

Meet W.B., a 22 year old Caucasian female from Cincinnati, she is a Biology Major and a junior. W.B. is familiar with the Center because in the past, she dated a ‘Q’ and that was his ‘spot’. According to Ms. B, “The only time I went there was with E. and when we broke up, there was no real reason to return. It’s not like anyone really befriended me while I was there, I just didn’t feel like it was a place for me to just go. I really felt like ‘the white girl’ and that wasn’t cool, there are far too many places on campus for me to go where I won’t feel isolated.”

I don’t know family; it’s not looking too good so far.

O.k., let’s go to F.T., a 21 year old band member, Caucasian, that came to UK by way of Mobile.
“I heard of it, I‘ve been meaning to go there, I peek in every now and then when I go by, but I haven’t been in yet. What do they do there?” Well, this is where it gets good for me. I explain that there are some things going on that he just might be interested in like discussions and guest speakers and artists that are sponsored by various groups that set up shop there. His next question was “Well, when are they going to set up outside so more people can know what’s going on with them, maybe other people would be interested too. I don’t really see them, so it’s hard to know what they are about. They really need more publicity.” I suggested F. visit the website to find out more and I challenged him to an experiment. I wanted to know if he and a friend would go and visit and just hang out for 20 minutes or so. Unfortunately, he has not taken me up on the offer.

P.O-L.,, a married 25 year old non-traditional Bi-racial student from Indianapolis transferred to UK second semester of her freshman year. P. has been on campus for four semesters and recounts her first encounters there. “Actually, I met my husband in the Center during a S.G. meeting. Things seemed a lot more active then as far as bringing people together. We had lot of activities; there was always something there to do.” She is also quick to acknowledge that there is a definite connection between people from the nearby town of Louisville. “A lot of people know each other from high school and tend to stick together, and if you don’t know, there has always been a kind of rivalry between Lexington and Louisville. I never really understood it, my husband would try and explain it to me and it doesn’t make sense to me at all. I think we should all be cool with each other no matter what, it’s only a few of us here anyway.” P. goes onto explain that recently neither she nor her husband have spent much time there because of their busy schedules.

To further my research, I surveyed 40 random students according to my location on campus at any given time. Out of 35 students, here is a rough break down.

Out of 40 people, 20 had heard of it but only 10 had actually visited, furthermore only 18 were interested in the activities and services the Center provided. Unfortunately, many of the Caucasian students had not even heard of the Center and only 1 had actually stepped foot inside.


I am shocked that so many students are not aware of the Martin Luther King Cultural Center and even more shocked that many of them are not even interested in what services or events it has to offer. Do you know how many people pass this place on the way to the bookstore or the food court? It's central location should add to its accessibility, so why does it still seem so isolated? What can we do to change this? How do we unite with the Student Body, how do we unite with each other? I know in my heart this center was built as a living breathing symbol of a dream, but what are we actively doing to perpetuate the King Legacy? We all have a responsibility to do more. This place is more than a hangout for the fraternities and sororities, it was built to be a beacon of light to those still in the darkness of ignorance. The MLKCC was built to teach and unite. What are we really doing to challenge ourselves to connect with those like and unlike us?

More coming soon...peace.

Please Forgive My Bitter Candor......

Hello People,

I hope I didn't sound too bitter in my introduction. I also don't wish to scare anyone away from visiting what is one of the few cultural centers we have on campus. In an effort not to alienate an audience or enrage others, I would like to address a few items and re-address others.

First about me, I am a non-Traditional student attending the University of Kentucky in Lexington. As a Sophomore, I have had some time to become familiar with about 60% of the campus and its surrounding areas, I do intend to learn much more. During my time here I have made many acquaintances with many different ethnic representations, and so far my experiences have been wonderful. My shock and amazement is the connection, or lack there of, with my own ethnicity-other African Americans. Now granted, I am older than 80% of the student body, but I don't look or act like an unapproachable older student. My personality is one of accessibility. On top of this, whenever I do divulge my age, I am greeted with exclamations of disbelief simply because of my 'young spirit'.

Now, I would like to tell you about the University of Kentucky.

"Four years after being criticized for doing too little to diversify its campus, the University of Kentucky enrolled a record number of African-American freshmen this year -- and also boosted overall enrollment, according to preliminary figures released yesterday.At UK, African-American enrollment has grown to 1,628 this fall from 1,392 in 2006, an increase due in part to increasing diversity among graduate students.Besides the higher enrollment and growing diversity on campus,Kumble Subbaswamy, UK Provost, noted retention for first-year students also is up, to 81 percent from 74 percent. That improvement comes a little more than a year after UK announced its so-called "War on Attrition," which included increasing academic advising for incoming students and instituting an alert system for students identified as floundering in their first year at the university." courier-journal.com

In conversations with native Kentuckians, I have learned of a deep pride associated with this university, I honestly had no idea how special this place is. I must tell you it is an honor to be a student of this institution of higher learning. It is also very refreshing to know that UK now has a strong commitment to educate minorities.

My question: What should our commitment be to one another? I believe part of the educational experience is learning from those like and unlike yourself. So in my quest to answer these questions, I will solicit participation in the form of fliers and one on one interviews to find out exactly what the actions of the MLKCC are in uniting the student body with those like and unlike themselves. I wonder if we as a culture have moved too far away from the original message of our leaders from the past. In today's society, people seem to be very concerned about conforming and in a lot of cases lose their precious individuality. The things that make us different and unique are points of beauty that should be appreciated, if no where else, in one's own culture. Unfortunately, I feel I am witnessing a separation of sorts with the young people of my culture.

The detachment from 'the struggle' has, in some ways, taken away our sense of unity. Our communities and family structures are different from what they were when the first Blacks attended and graduated from this institution and now so are our mindsets. I say all this because if I could go back in time, which I will soon, I bet you there was a camaraderie between the Black students that just doesn't exist today, and that is why I could have an experience like the one I had the first three times I visited the MLKCC at UK. I was a new face observing what looked to be a tightly-knit group that became a little disappointed when I wasn't even acknowledged. Maybe I was expecting too much of the Director, too much of the students. I believe had my visit taken place back in 1987, I would have been nearly bombarded with information, greeted warmly and given the real sense of message the Martin Luther King Cultural Center was established to convey. I feel sad about the possibility that we have moved so far away from our own community that we no longer acknowledge each other.

In my next update, I will share information I gathered doing interviews and surveys of undergraduate students from a variety of backrounds and ages. Until then, signing off.

And by the way, if you see me in the field, don't be too shy to speak.

Peace

Introduction

Twenty minutes. Count them, twenty minutes I sat in this place reading my book and intermittently looking up to try and catch the eye of another student willing to talk to me. I had come to this place to get a sense of what the Black (yeah, Black) student body looked like. Boy was I surprised. Not only did no one address me for the twenty plus minutes I was there, but the director walked past me twice, acknowledged persons she was familiar with and re-entered her office to continue her work. I was insulted. The entire time I was there I watched as people socialized, danced and moved around each other with a strong familiarity. I even walked over to the 'information table' to check out some pamphlets and advertisements for upcoming events, still no one said a word. Maybe I was expecting too much. I wanted to feel a sense of welcome here amongst my brethren, but all I felt was isolated. On top of that, more people entered the center and were immediately embraced and swallowed into the fold while I just watched in horror. Finally, I made up my mind to end this game, collected my belongings and quietly exited. As I walked away, I remember feeling something I had never quite felt before and was unable to put an accurate term to it. I just walked in a daze looking for somewhere else to fit in.

When I first visited the MLKCC web page connected to link blue, I thought in a world which had changed so dramatically for me, maybe familiarity would be the key to settling in and feeling more at home. I was dead wrong. I thought this place would be a jumping off point to new relationships and a broader sense of what was going on 'in the hood'. I had just moved here from New York and was looking for a place to relax with my people, but who were 'my people'?, where do I go where there are others with similar backgrounds? Had I deceived myself by thinking we (Blacks) were cohesive here in the Bluegrass State? Not only that, where were my African brothers and sisters? I don't know.What I do know is I haven't really made many acquaintances with people of color outside of the Music School and those I pass on campus don't seem to want to be bothered.

So what is the real purpose of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center?

On board things look very appealing, with programs for Community Outreach, Student Involvement, Latino American Student Organization and many others, I thought this place would be ideal. Now don't get me wrong, I continued with my experiment and went a total of three more times to survey this distant, cliquish atmosphere. It wasn't until the fourth visit that someone actually spoke to me. Astounding! I was in attendance of a Salsa class and the majority of people were not considered African-American. "Mercy, Mercy Me, Things ain't what they used to be, no......" Marvin Gaye (What's going on?)"The MLKCC was established to contribute positively to the recruitment and retention of African-American students by aiding in the development of a more hospitable and supportive campus environment. To achieve this goal, the center offered a relaxed, yet stimulating environment where all students of the university came together to be enriched through diverse cultural exchanges. Today, the MLKCC has become the home to many traditionally under-represented groups exemplifying the high ideals and dreams of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."The above paragraph was taken directly from the website and I offer it as food for thought. I challenge anyone to take me up on my experience. Go to the MLKCC and see for yourself. Why is a place whose mission statement is so inviting be so isolated? Or dare I say, segregated? I intend to explore further the contributions of MLKCC and its real impact on the UK community. I will investigate by attending meetings and functions sponsored and will honestly and objectively report my findings. I would love for my experience to be a fluke, just one of those things that kind of got lost in the wind. I also invite others to share their experiences as well. Thank you.