A Message From Morehouse
By Colbert I. King
Saturday, May 2, 2009Eliminate young African American men, and what would police, jailers, social workers, and sports and entertainment moguls do for a living?
After all, young black men live to get in trouble, make babies, act out on stage, slam-dunk and dance in the end zone. That, at least, is the mass-media-influenced image that is accepted as "authentic" by people who should know better.
Someone who does know better is Robert M. Franklin, the president of Morehouse College, the venerable, all-male, historically black Atlanta college noted for building up and turning out generations of outstanding leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., the theologian and writer Howard W. Thurman, and prominent D.C. lawyer James L. Hudson.
Franklin's remarks to students at an April 21 town hall meeting on the campus didn't make headlines. But excerpts from "The Soul of Morehouse and the Future of the Mystique" are making the rounds in African American homes and in social settings, thanks to the Internet and a communications phenomenon called the "black express," which preceded and outlives the Pony Express.
Franklin's speech focused on Morehouse students. But his message has caught on because it speaks to a larger community of up-and-coming young black men who are studiously ignored by arbiters of popular culture.
He translated the mystique into eight simple words: "Renaissance men with social conscience and global perspective."
Only two of those words are simple. And this being Morehouse it feels, shall we say, subculture-specific because it specifically rejects certain valued-though-optional cultural expressions.
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Dare I say that this CURRENT President of Morehouse
only had to pull out the speeches and lectures given by the former President, Benjamin E. Mays, to get to the mission of Morehouse?
I liked the column
I would like to point out
I would like to point out those eight words can be implemented in any subculture.
President Franklin's words.
I just finished reading King's op-ed, and I have to say that I am impressed with President Franklin's words for Morehouse men (one of my cousins is a Morehouse man). I'm a graduate of the oldest of the remaining men's colleges, Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and I am also in the small fraternity of black alumni. I agree with so much of what President Franklin said to his students, particularly with regard to the relationship between gay and straight Morehouse men. President Franklin's words need to extend to the broader black male community (and of course the black community altogether). We are all in this together. President Franklin recognizes this, and he wants to make sure that the men of Morehouse will continue to set an example. As a Hampden-Sydney man, who is also black, I am happy to do my part and share President Franklin's message with my fellow black Hampden-Sydney alumni, and the current black students. Thanks for posting this.
This passage is perfection
"Straight men," Franklin said, "should learn more about the outlooks and contributions of gay men. Read a book by a gay author. Have an intelligent conversation with a gay neighbor." Franklin reminded the Morehouse students: "At a time when it was truly scandalous to have homosexual friends or associates, Dr. King looked to Bayard Rustin, a black gay man, as a trusted adviser. And, Malcolm X regarded James Baldwin, a black gay man, as a brilliant chronicler of the black experience."
"To my straight brothers," he said, "diversity at Morehouse is an opportunity that can enrich your education if you are courageous enough to seize the opportunity. We cannot force you, but we invite you to learn from your environment."
We gonna make it
The other day P6 provided a link to a clip of James Baldwin in San Francisco. What I was struck by is how this rather demonstative gay man could commune so well with brothers of ostensibly limited educational and work experiences.