A College Memoir From 1940s Atlanta
Martin Luther King Jr. enrolled in Morehouse College at age 15 in 1944 graduating with honors in 1948. Morehouse was part of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) which included the Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University), Morris Brown College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Most HBCU students like King “were trying to go some place and get good food off campus. Because the food was just institutional,” remembers Spelman grad Stanlie M. James. The fact that HBCU cafeterias served one meal option that tasted “institutional,” translation—lacked soul, seemed the biggest complaint of students. James explains, “It was not like today where college cafeterias are operated like a food court with salad bars, pasta bars, and lots of options.”
