Parents’ Parting Ceremony Entrance of 2020 and 2021 NSO Classes Franklin L. Forbes Arena Friday, Aug. 13, 2021 | 7:30 P.M.
2019 Commencement Program “ O ver the heads of her students, Morehouse holds a crown that she chalenges them to grow tall enough to wear.” Dr. Howard Washington Thurman ’23 Educator, Minister, Theologian, Philosopher, and Author
Howard Washington Thurman Memorial The Howard Washington Thurman Memorial obelisk on the Morehouse College campus is a celebration of the process of enlightenment, achieved through the deliberate acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and the slow revelation of cosmic wisdom. The monument rises near the footprint of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and marks the resting place of Thurman, a 1923 Morehouse graduate and nationally-respected theologian. Thurman was considered a forerunner in the religious movement which celebrates the unity of all people and embraces a religious spirituality that is intercultural, interracial, interdenominational, and international.
Historically (1580-1200 B.C.), the obelisk was a sun and light symbol, embodying the transcendence immanent in God’s light. The soaring lines of the obelisk were meant to evoke this transcendence, and its capstone, often coated in gold-silver alloy, reflected light that could be seen 50 miles away. The ancient priests believed that light, consciousness, and understanding were synonymous. The obelisk remains a symbol of man’s creativity and wisdom. At Morehouse, the monument serves as a beacon for scholarly pursuits, visionary leadership, compassionate service, and a worldview that inspires positive change.
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
the ritual of leave-taking and induction Affirmative Excellence through Tradition, Transcendence, Transformation, and Transition
Tradition
The Mystique of Making Moral Men The Summons by African Drummers to Gather Round The Entrance of the Classes of 2020 and 2021 The Summons of the Village Elders: Mentors of the Mystique Henry M. Goodgame ’84 The Distinguished Alumnus Elder Edwin Corley Moses ’78
The Testimony
“I Know I’ve Been Changed” (as performed by LaShun Pace Rhodes) Brian Emmanuel Perry
The Exhortation The Chief Elder of the Village President David A. Thomas
The Passing of the Baton The Academic and Admissions Elder Dr. Thelbert T.J. Snowden The Freshmen Elder Kevin Russel Booker ’90
The Celebration of High Expectations “Nkrabea (Destiny)” Umuzi-Ikahya Community Dance Company The Dance Elder Donna E. Thomas Walker
The Call for Determination The Student Elder Tyler Micah Washington ’23 The Chapel Elder The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. The Distinguished Alumnus Elder Edwin Corley Moses ’78
The Lighting of the Carey Henry Wynn II ’70 Urn* *Carey Henry Wynn II ’70 is the sculptor of the ceremonial urn.
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MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
the ritual of leave-taking and induction Affirmative Excellence through Tradition, Transcendence, Transformation, and Transition
Transcendence
The Call for Moral Cosmopolitan Commitment and Release The Petitions to Enter the House The Student Services Elder Kevin Russel Booker ’90
The Pageantry of the Thurman Chest The Parents’ Representative Elders Selected First-Year Student Parent(s)
The Induction The Morehouse Mystique Elder Dr. Anne Wimbush Watts
The Parting of the Parents “I Release and I Let Go”
Words and Music by Michael and Rickie Byars Beckwith
The Music Elder Chanda Leigh Adeogba
Transformation
The Departure of Cosmic Citizens from the Arena The Magic of the Ben Ben Stone
It was the tendency of the ancient monument-builders of the Nile to codify their symbolic teachings in stone. Thus, for those who knew the “language,” the physical structure and placement of a monument, temple, or other sacred building unveiled a deeper story. The Ben Ben, or “obelisk,” was such a significant monument that, during the New Kingdom (1580-1200 BC), it came to symbolize Kemit itself. The Ben Ben was clearly a sun and light symbol, dedicated to Ra, embodying the transcendence immanent in Ra’s Light. The Ben Ben’s soaring lines were meant to evoke this transcendence and its connection to the solar light was imbued in the capstone or pyramidion, coated in a gold-silver alloy called nubhedj (“electrum”), with a brilliant reflection could be seen 50 miles away on a clear day. The term Ben Ben is a doubling of the old Kamite word ben meaning “man, phallus, beget.” It is the source of the Hebrew ben or Arabin ibn meaning “son of.” The ancient Nile dwellers clearly understood that the rays of the sun fructified the earth and all life
upon it and therefore made that all important heavenly body the archetypal symbol of the Heavenly Father whom they called Ra. The Ben Ben, though, is more than a mere “phallic symbol”; it is a sign of the sun (or Ra’s) fructifying light-ray materialized in granite. In the mind of the ancient priests of the Nile, light, consciousness, and understanding were synonymous. Thus, the Ben Ben codified the process of enlightenment, achieved through the correct acquisition of knowledge and the slow revelation of cosmic wisdom. Under such influence, dark mysteries and unexamined secrets were made manifest. The Ben Ben yet retains its power to inspire the imagination, and to encapsulate transcendence. Again and again, the modern architect re-erects obeliscoid forms because the elegant, geometric harmony of the Ben Ben speaks a language that continually excites the creative instincts of man. Time and again, we return to this ancient architectural form not because we lack other models, but because it expresses for us the cosmic imperative of our indwelling spirit. Through the Ben Ben, we pay homage to the Light Bringer, the Father of All, and the best of His Creation.
By Dr. Charles Sumner Finch III Former Director of International Programs, Morehouse School of Medicine
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MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
the ritual of leave-taking and induction Affirmative Excellence through Tradition, Transcendence, Transformation, and Transition
The Cloud of Witnesses Encircling the Ben Ben Stone The Ferrymen and Watchmen Bearing Witness on the Wall II Samuel 18:24 (NIV) and Ezekiel 33:7 (KJV)
The Opening of the Howard Washington and Sue Bailey Thurman Crypt The Entrance of the Parents’ Representative Elders with the Thurman Chest of High Expectations The Tolling of the Thurman Bell and the Roll Call in Witness to the Thirteen Chief Elders of the Village The Ringing of the 1787 Silver Bluff Springfield Baptist Church Bell to Begin the School Year The Freshmen Singing the College Hymn “Dear Old Morehouse” By J.O.B. Moseley ’29
The Benediction The Founder’s Representative Elder Hardy Spurgeon Bennings III “Walk among the hills listening to the Voice. Then, become the Voice.” (1979) “Morehouse, do not make God repent for having created you.” (1980) –Howard Thurman
Transition
The Opening of the Gates to the World House The Freshmen start to soar on the path of “The Infinite Way” to being moral cosmopolitan leaders in the Global Commonwealth of Citizens. “He who does not look ahead always remains behind.” –Nigerian Proverb
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On Children And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. By Kahlil Gibran The Prophet (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923) 17–18
The Tragedy In Life “It must be borne in mind that the tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin.” Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, ’67 (Hon.) President of Morehouse College (1940–1967)
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“There is an air of expectancy at Morehouse. It is expected that the student who enters here will do well. It is also expected that once a man bears the insignia of a Morehouse graduate, he will do exceptionally well. We expect nothing less... May you perform so well that when a man is needed for an important job in your field, your work will be so impressive that the committee of selection will be compelled to examine your credentials. May you forever stand for something noble and high. Let no man dismiss you with a wave of the hand or shrug of the shoulder...” Charge to the Graduating Class of 1961 By Dr. Benjamin E. Mays President, Morehouse College 1940–1967
can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great; all things give way before it, soon or late. What obstacle can stay the mighty force of the sea-seeking river in its course, or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?
DETERMINATION
There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
Each well-born soul must win what it deserves.
Let the fool prate [talk idly] of luck. The fortunate is he whose earnest purpose never swerves, whose slightest action or inaction serves
the one great aim. Why, even Death stands still, and waits an hour sometimes for such a will. By Ella Wheeler Wilcox As loved by Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. ’56
I Release and I Let Go SOLO There was a time in my life I thought I had to do it all for myself I didn’t know the grace of God was sufficient Didn’t know the love of God was at hand But now I can say if you are discouraged Struggling just to make it through another day You’ve got to let it go, let it all go and this is what you have to say: CHORUS I release and I let go I let the Spirit run my [his] life and my [his] heart is open wide Yes, we’re only here for God No more struggle no more strife With my faith I see the light I am [He is] free in the Spirit Yes, we’re only here for God. Words and Music by Michael Beckwith and Rickie Byars Beckwith
Dear Old Morehouse Dear old Morehouse, dear old Morehouse, We have pledged our lives to thee; And we’ll ever, yea forever Give ourselves in loyalty. True forever, true forever, To old Morehouse may we be; So to bind each son the other Into ties more brotherly. Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Make us steadfast, honest, true, To old Morehouse, and her ideals, And in all things that we do. J.O.B. Moseley ’29
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in witness to the
Thirteen Chief Elders of the Village FOUNDER Rev. William Jefferson White ’11 (Hon.)
ASSOCIATE FOUNDERS Richard C. Coulter & Edmund Turney
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PRESIDENTS
Joseph T. Robert
Samuel Graves
1871–1884
George Sale
1885–1890
Benjamin E. Mays ’67 (Hon.)
1940–1967
Hugh M. Gloster ’31
1967–1987
Robert M. Franklin ’75
2007–2012
John Hope ’07 (Hon.)
1890–1906
1906–1931
Leroy Keith Jr. ’61
1987–1994
John S. Wilson Jr. ’79
2013–2017
Samuel H. Archer
1931–1937
Walter E. Massey ’58
1995–2007
David A. Thomas
2018–
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The Morehouse College Presidential Chair
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n recognition of the 129th anniversary of Morehouse College’s founding and the inauguration of its ninth President, Dr. Walter Eugene Massey, the Morehouse College Board of Trustees commissioned the Presidential Chair, a work of art that symbolizes both the significance of the Office of the President and the leader who holds it.
The Presidential Chair features carved images that represent universal truths and academic ideals, as well as key aspects of ancient African culture and heritage. It is inscribed with the three languages—hieroglyphics, Greek, and Latin—that root the College in antiquity. At many academic institutions, such as Oxford and Harvard, the President sits in such a chair traditionally at Commencement. At Morehouse, the Presidential Chair is also used to mark the transition of freshmen and their parents. Made of polished cherry wood, the chair stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall and is designed to resemble a pulpit chair, which is suggestive of Morehouse history. The College was founded in 1867 in the basement of Silver Bluff-Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. Springfield Church, founded in 1787, is the oldest independent African-American Church congregation of any denomination in the nation in continuous existence. At the top front of the Presidential Chair are the first of several Ghanaian Denkira symbols used throughout the piece: two branches that represent the Tree of Life and acknowledge God as the source of all life. The branches form a protective arch over two human figures. Maat, the female, personifies balance, beneficence, harmony, justice, method, order, reciprocity, right, righteousness, spirit, truth, and wholeness. The Notched Palm Branch she holds represents “the gift of millions of years,” an African concept that means eternity. The male figure is the archetypal Morehouse Man. He holds the Was Scepter, a symbol of power, dominion, and self-mastery. Just below these figures on the chair is the Morehouse College Seal, which depicts the sun rising from behind the clouds and the Latin phrase “et facta est lux” (and knowledge is light). The ideas of evolution and transformation are embodied in the symbol positioned just below the seal—Khepra, the winged scarab, whose back has the same design as the human skull.
The denkira symbols on the front seat of the chair indicate desirable servant scholar leadership attributes, such as ethics, excellence, perfection, knowledge, superior quality, toughness, adaptability, reconciliation, devotion to service, and ability to withstand hardships. The College seeks to instill these attributes, embodied in its President, in all Morehouse Men. The symbols on the sides of the chair’s seat denote safety, security, brotherhood and solidarity. The rungs of the Presidential Chair are embellished with the Mali/Dogon icon, which represents rebirth and regeneration and the Zaire/Kongo icon, which represents spiritual continuity and renaissance par excellence. The Presidential Chair was designed and constructed by Ayokunle Odeleye, a professional sculptor and art professor for more 30 years who has taught at Kennasaw State College, Marietta, Georgia. Gospel Tabernacle Church of Atlanta and its pastor, the Rev. Wiley Jackson, assisted with funding for the chair, which is housed in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel.
Carved in the center of the chair below Khepra is the symbol for the Kemetic Per Ankh, the most ancient temple college known to humankind. The university was called the house of life, knowledge, learning, sacredness, and wisdom. The use of the symbol on the Presidential Chair represents the idea that Morehouse as an institution of higher education continues academic traditions that date back more than 2,000 years. The carvings on the back of the Presidential Chair include: the Scribes Outfit, which symbolizes academic pursuits; the seal of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, which encourages ecumenical, theological exploration of vocation in education; and Falcon Horus, a sun image that signifies light and knowledge. From its position on the spine of the Presidential Chair, the Falcon holds the chair and its occupant erect.
Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. Dean, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Morehouse College
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Ferrymen and Watchmen for the Global Voyage Dr. David A. Thomas President Rev. Hardy Spurgeon Bennings III The Founder’s Representative Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. Dean of the Chapel, Professor of Religion College Archivist and Curator Illya Eliphis Davis ’89 Director of New Students & Transition Programs, Director of the Morehouse Accelerated Academic Program Pre-freshmen Summer Program, Instructor of Philosophy Henry Melvin Goodgame Jr. ’84 Vice President for External Relations and Alumni Engagement Edwin Corley Moses ’78 Olympic Gold Medalist and World Record Holder Tyler Micah Washington ’23 37th President, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants Brian Emmanuel Perry Soloist Kevin Russel Booker ’92 Vice President for Student Services and Dean of the College Donna Eugenia Thomas Walker Choreographer, Umuzi-Ikahya Community Dance Company Dr. Anne Wimbush Watts President, Powerful Presentations Inc. Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (Ret.) Chanda Leigh Adeogba Pianist and Vocalist
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“While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone.” 2 Samuel 18:24 (NIV)
“So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.” Ezekiel 33:7 (KJV)
morehouse.edu
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