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.