Get involved with the Martin Luther King Center

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 24, 2022) — The University of Kentucky’s campus was alive with activity Monday as more than 22,000 students returned for the start of fall semester. New and familiar faces flocked to campus to begin a journey with one common goal — explore what is wildly possible at UK. 

As students transition to the new school year, the Martin Luther King (MLK) Center, part of the Office for Institutional Diversity, would like to remind everyone to get involved. 

“We are excited to invite students, staff and faculty to the MLK Center this semester,” Ja’Mahl McDaniel, MLK Center director, said. “Our goal is to ensure students recognize that our office offers more than a community space. We offer multiple opportunities for cultural engagement through monthly initiatives and programs. Our work remains important at the university, to enhance belonging for our underrepresented students and to provide educational opportunities for the broader campus community.”

Established as the cultural center on campus in 1987, the MLK Center was created to offer historically marginalized students a place to find community and advocacy, and to facilitate culturally/ethnic-based education.

With a history and essence rooted in supporting and embracing diverse perspectives on campus, while the office has had different names since 1987, the goal has remained the same: create a sense of community and belonging for students across diverse identities.

Recently, the MLK Center, in collaboration with the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment's Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, hosted the inaugural Leaders Invested in Forward Thinking (LIFT) Retreat. The retreat aimed to foster leadership development opportunities from a multicultural perspective. 

“The LIFT Retreat showed us the importance of speaking up for what you need,” said UK NAACP President Jakori Tinsley. “The student leaders expressed a need for this space and seeing it all come together was amazing.”

The one-day retreat allowed student leaders to network, hone skills essential to leading their organizations and develop the skills necessary to cultivate the next cohort of leaders following in their footsteps.

The retreat strived to:

1. elevate the fostering of community among multicultural student leaders and allies;

2. equip leaders with tools to successfully plan and execute their year on campus; and

3. connect organizations with each other and resources to enhance their support and experience on campus.

Forty student leaders from 29 organizations participated in developmental sessions on inclusive leadership, foundations of organizational leadership and operations, and participated in community round tables. 

“The LIFT Retreat gave us an opportunity to take a step back and analyze how we want to impact our campus community and balance student and work life,” UK MANNRS President Jazmine Faulkner said. “We are now equipped with the tools to step into this new school year with so much knowledge and support. I believe we all left the retreat with a clear vision of our expectations and goals for the semester.”

The MLK Center is excited to continue the conversation surrounding leadership development throughout the year through a monthly series titled Community Connections. The series will foster community among organizations, increase the leadership capacity of current and emerging student leaders and cultivate a deeper commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging both individually and collectively. 

Along with the series, the MLK Center has a number of events planned for the month of August that will allow the campus community to engage with the center. This month’s programming includes: 

• King Center Welcome Cookout, noon-2 p.m., Aug. 26, Courtyard of Champions; 
• LEXengage, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug. 27, Worsham Theatre: Join the MLK Center on a tour around Lexington as they visit three distinct areas that play a vital role in the economic development of the city. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the city's history and culture while also visiting local shops and restaurants along the way.
• IGNITE, noon to 4 p.m., Aug. 28, Gatton Student Center: Now in it’s second year, IGNITE is designed to connect incoming first-year students from historically underrepresented backgrounds with student leaders, faculty and staff in an effort to build a strong community to aid in their transition and provide resources for academic success, cultural engagement and leadership development.

Much has happened over the last three years. UK has experienced disrupters that have required pivoting and adapting. While we can always expect to encounter challenges, we have turned a corner from where we have been and that is cause in and of itself to be excited for this new “normal” year. 

With this new normal comes new opportunities. McDaniel believes one of those opportunities is to get involved with the MLK Center. 

To stay up to date with events and information on the MLK Center, visit their website or follow them on social media.