By Shelby Luna

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The Martin Luther King Center has been promoting cultural awareness and cross-cultural understanding since 1987. The center is a place where all students, professors, and university staff are welcome to interact and embrace the diverse backgrounds from which they come.

“Our most important goal is to create a safe place for students of color on campus,” said administrative associate Orvis Kean. “Our motto is ‘everyone is welcome’ so we have students of many different ethnicities who are involved in our program.”

The MLK Center, located in 313 Blazer Hall, hosts multiple programs and activities each week intended to connect and educate students, faculty and staff on the importance of diversity and other hot topics. Some of their most popular events are known as “Lunch & Learn” and “Soup & Substance.”

Each Wednesday, they host “Lunch & Learn” where individuals can socialize, enjoy free food, and listen to guest speakers.

“Soup & Substance” is held on the third Thursday of every month. Members meet to learn and discuss current topics related to race, gender, class, and various identities and then soup is provided for everyone. Some of these topics have recently included police brutality and beauty in the eyes of the media.

The MLK Center prioritizes cultural and educational programming, student support and development and community involvement.

“I became involved at the MLK Center my freshman year when I was looking to become more active on campus,” said public health senior Christina Lucas.

With outreach, leadership and success part of their core values, those actively involved with the center hope to display the values and characteristics of Dr. King as they encourage people on campus and in the Lexington community to break cultural boundaries. Lucas is a student ambassador for the center.

“This program has given me the opportunity to build relationships with faculty members on campus and better prepare myself for my career,” Lucas said.

To learn more about the MLK Center and any of their events, students can connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Students can also subscribe to their emails by sending an email to [email protected] that says “subscribe MLKC” along with first and last names.