As we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., a great leader and visionary, I can’t help but wonder just how he would feel about his legacy if he could see Iowa State today.

I’m sure he would be humbled by the fact that the nation celebrates his birthday as a day of reflection on the way he served as the face of the civil rights movement for so long and how his life was cut short because of his convictions.

I know he would understand, though, that it took 15 years for Congress to federalize the holiday after Rep. John Conyers introduced legislation to authorize the commemoration just four days after King died in 1968.

I’m certain that he would feel honored that Go.Vilsack declared Jan. 19-25, 2004 as “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week,” though Iowa did not start celebrating the national holiday until 1989, after its federalization in 1983. I imagine King would cast a thoughtful smile on all the celebration ceremonies, and newspaper articles.

At the same time, my guess is that King would be saddened by how little we notice the state of progress today, by how far we have allowed the work to slide backwards. One of the starkest examples of atrophy on our campus is the state of the Black Cultural Center. In 1969, a group of black students, believing that they needed an “identifiable presence” on Iowa State’s campus, organized to establish the Black Cultural Center. These students initiated a grassroots fund-raising campaign, raising funds and support from the ISU community that allowed them to purchase the only property in Iowa owned by black students today. When the building was dedicated on Sept. 27, 1970, Iowa State declared the day “George Washington Carver Day.”

The Black Cultural Center provided a place where members of the Ames community could learn about black culture and a place that black students could call “home” away from home. Home to the Jack Trice Memorial Library, the center also displayed traditional African art and cultural pieces. The building also housed meetings, student events, study sessions and receptions for national speakers who came to Iowa State. In the fall of 2003, students of all races and ethnicities enjoyed Soul Food Sundays, movie nights, Friday After Class discussions and study tables in the “House.”

But today the Black Cultural Center stands cold. It is closed. Early last winter, one of the pipes burst, flooding the basement and causing severe interior damage. Because the resulting mold and mildew presented a health hazard, the building was closed to the public. For almost a year now, the Black Cultural Center has sat unrepaired and unused.

The center that once represented a thriving and progressive community today serves as a symbol of a community who seems to have lost its way. In 1996, after the Black Student Alliance pushed the effort to renovate the Black Cultural Center, former ISU President Martin Jischke said, “In rededicating the newly renovated Black Cultural Center, we are rededicating our commitment to the spirit of diversity.”

Perhaps the fact that the Black Cultural Center stands closed indicates that we are no longer dedicated to “our commitment to the spirit of diversity.” It certainly reflects a student body willing to overlook our present day tributes to struggle and progress. How is it that the little house at 517 Welch Ave. goes unnoticed by students and community members?

I’d like to think that King would gladly turn the focus of our days from celebration to organization for change. Together. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, King admonished his listeners not to turn back but to march ahead, not to find complacency in celebrating the past but to pursue change for the future. But he also reminded us that one person or one group cannot do it alone, that progress isn’t a “white thing” or a “black thing.” It should be everybody’s thing.

Together we can ensure that the legacy does not atrophy.