Convocation & Crown Forum

Harley Etienne is an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan's Tubman School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Crown Forum After Dark: Rising Stars in the Media" Presented by the Journalism and Sports Pgm. Guest include: Max Tyler ’13 ESPN the Magazine, Senior Researcher/Writer Jovan Davis ’16 Senior Drama Major Mark Anthony Green ’10 GQ, “Style Guy” Fashion Columnist Donovan X. Ramsey ’10 Free-lance Journalist and Demos Fellow David Jason Trey Dow ’12 CBS 48 Hours, Production Secretary

Exciting, insightful, and memorable speeches this year on the topic of "Love, Justice, and Reconciliation. This title/topic was chosen by Otis Moss, Sr. directly. This Crown Forum was also held in historic Sale Hall Chapel.

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Delman Coates ’95 talking on The Black Church and LGBTQ Rights

In celebration of the birthday Martin Luther King, Jr., the King Papers Collection celebrates the life of Congressman John Lewis

Artist Fahamu Pecou makes a presentation of his works then there was a discussion with students and faculty.

Howard Washington Thurman Crown Forum November 19, 2015 | 11:00 a.m. Featuring: Dr. Gary Dorrien (author of The New Abolition: W.E.B. DuBois and the Black Social Gospel) Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel

we will engage activists and organizers within the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Specifically, we will hear from #AUCShutItDown and Mr. Shaun King. For good measure, in addition to the hyperlinks above, I have attached a PDF version of the program that will be available in hardcopy on Thursday morning. Though they will not be present, I feel a particular need to highlight the names of the founders of #BlackLivesMatter — Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors — because these women’s names are too often not said or known as we take up the mantle of social justice under the thoroughly comprehensive framework that they offer. Certainly, the frequent omission of their voice is part of the complexity of realizing and affirming Black lives within our community and beyond.

Kevin Powell is one of the most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices in America today. Kevin is a native of Jersey City, raised by a single mother in extreme poverty, but managed to study at Rutgers University in New Brunswick thanks to New Jersey’s Educational Opportunity Fund. Kevin has gone on to be the author of 12 books, including his newest title, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood. It is a critically acclaimed and brutally honest memoir about his life, including his youth. In 2018, he will publish a biography of Tupac Shakur, the late rapper and controversial American icon.

Speaker: Shaka Rasheed 93 Managing Director and Head of Alternative Investments Americas, Lazard Asset Management

Celebrating the Graduating & Senior class of Morehouse College 2015

A Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony for student academic excellence.

Board of Preachers, Board of Sponsors and Collegium of Scholars Induction Crown Forum Featured Speaker: Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury

Paul Judge is the recipient of the Morehouse College 2015 Candle in the Dark Bennie Achievement Award. He is an inventor, scientist, technologist and philanthropist. He is an inventor of about 30 patented and patent-pending computer security technologies. Dr. Judge holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Morehouse College, and received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Network Security from Georgia Tech.

Presented by Mansa Bilal Mark King, Ph.D. (Formerly - Mark A. King) Asst. Professor in the Sociology Department. This presentation will address Pan-African relationships and Muslims in the school setting.

The After Malcolm Digital Archive: Focus on Black Freedom and Families

The Reverend Craig Thomas Robinson, Jr is the proud pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a dynamic community of faith located in the village of Bay Shore, New York. Bethel Church was founded in 1865 and remains a beacon of hope and healing for the residents of Bay Shore and Long Island. Reverend Robinson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Morehouse College and earned the Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees from Yale Divinity School. Upon completion of his Master of Divinity degree, in 2011, He was awarded two prizes in the area of preaching: The Charles S. Mersick Prize “for effective public address, especially in preaching,” and the Oliver Elsworth Daggett Prize “for ability, diligence, Christian character and promise of usefulness as a preacher.” He has also published in the African American Pulpit journal and the African American Lectionary online. Reverend Robinson’s second master’s, the Master of Sacred Theology, was an exploration into the life and legacy of Howard Washington Thurman. His thesis examined the prophetic edges of Thurman’s pastoral ministries at the Fellowship Church of All Peoples in San Francisco, California and his tenure as dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University to the end of showing the indelible mark Thurman left on the trajectory of the Civil Rights Movement. In between Reverend Robinson’s pursuit of a professional education, he spent two years as a Lilly-Endowed Transition into Ministry Fellow which allowed him to serve as a Pastoral Resident at the Historic Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts. He also served as an instructor in AME Liturgy and Hymnody for the New England Annual Conference Ministerial Training Institute.

Dr. Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor of Education and Founder/Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. Chair of the Board of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, Dr. Fuller is a passionate advocate for effective polices and practices that improve the academic and personal development of America’s youth in general, and Black youth in particular. In concert with the Year of Responsibility theme for this year’s Crown Forum, his presentation will include commentary specific to the roles and responsibilities of educated people, with emphasis on Black college students and graduates, in transforming the lives of others.

Educator, administrator, writer, consultant, motivational speaker, and community leader, Dr. Anne Wimbush Watts served in various roles for a number of years at Morehouse College; including, Vice Provost, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Class Dean, and tenured Professor of English. She has also been Honors Lecturer at Talladega College and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Spelman College. More recently, she served as Interim Dean of the Metropolitan College and Visiting Professor at Johnson C. Smith University, where she continues to engage in consultant work. Dr. Watts’ education includes a bachelor’s degree in English from Grambling State University, (Valedictorian); master’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin; master’s degree in French Language and Literature from Atlanta University; Ph.D. degree in English Language and Literature from Georgia State University, and further study at Harvard University. Dr. Watts is president of Powerful Presentations, Inc., a consulting firm. She has conducted Report Writing Skills Development training in four states for over 200 managers of offices in the United States Department of labor; At the behest of Ambassador Andrew Young, she coordinated training in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution for a delegation of young South African former Freedom Fighters; provided Communication Skills training for employees at the Atlanta Job Corps, for attendees at the USPS National A-Plus Convention (2011), and for athletes from all of the CIAA institutions (IMAGE), 2012. In her presentation, Dr. Watts will identify and illuminate several factors and practices related to exemplary leadership.

Mr. Perry ’94 addresses the need to fight (with heart and mind), not just during the significant battles and setbacks in life, but also during the everyday fights and challenges that will ultimately decide success or failure. Personal resilience, discipline and the will to fight are crucial to surviving a crisis, but also in winning life’s day-­‐to-­‐day battles, which are often disguised as everyday responsibilities.

For more than five years, James Shelton, III has been with the U.S. Department of Education. Currently as Deputy Secretary, he oversees a broad range of management, policy and program functions. He is a 1989 Graduate of Morehouse College.

Crown Forum speaker is Dr. Jeffrey Ogbar (’91). Dr. Ogbar is a professor of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music at the University of Connecticut. The title of his presentation is Socio-Political Thought and Practice for the Change Agents of the 21st Century. His presentation is in partnership with the A3C Hip Hop Conference.

Crown Forum speaker is Dr. Paul Warmington, Deputy Director of the Centre for Research in Race and Education at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. His presentation is in partnership with the International Colloquium on Black Males in Education taking place on campus this week, hosted by the Morehouse Research Institute.

Marc Lamont Hill is one of the leading intellectual voices in the country. He is the host of HuffPost Live and BET News, as well as a political contributor for CNN. An award-­‐winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Dr. Hill is Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College.

Guest Lecturer: Marc Lamont Hill Distinguished Professor, Dept. of African American Studies Morehouse College Marc Lamont Hill is one of the leading intellectual voices in the country. He is the host of HuffPost Live and BET News, as well as a political contributor for CNN. An award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Dr. Hill is Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College. Trained as an anthropologist of education, Dr. Hill holds a Ph.D. (with distinction) from the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the intersections between culture, politics, and education.

Keynote Speaker John Silvanus Wilson Jr. '79 President, Morehouse College

A Celebration of Excellence Awards for academic achievement.

2014 Otis Moss Jr. Oratorical Contest TOPIC: “Pathways to Pre-eminence: Vocalizing Educational Reform K-12”

2014 Martin Luther King Crown Forum, featuring Mr. Azim Khamisa, is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, 2014, 11:00am at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Azim Khamisa, an author, activist and inspirational speaker, was born in Kenya, Africa and had early training in mathematics, economics and international finance. A successful international investmxent banker with over 35 years experience, he has conducted business in Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia. A man always on the go, taking action for societal transformation, he is presently the Chairman, CEO and Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF), President of the Child Safety Network (CSN) and Founder and National Director of the Constant And Never Ending Improvement (CANEI) program. Committing his life to halting the continuing cycle of violence among the youth, Azim became a social activist after his 20-year-old son Tariq was senselessly murdered while delivering pizzas in January 1995 by Tony Hicks, a 14-year-old gang member. Out of unspeakable grief and despair, Khamisa was inspired to transform his loss through the miraculous power of forgiveness. Believing that there were “victims at both ends of the gun,” Azim forgave Tony and founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to break the cycle of youth violence by saving lives, teaching peace and planting seeds of hope in their future. A month after establishing the foundation, Azim invited Ples Felix, Tony’s grandfather and guardian, to join him. Together, since November 1995, the two have brought their story and message through TKF’s Violence Impact Forums. The duo has reached a half a million elementary and middle school children live and over 20 million via video programs, guiding the youth to choose a peacemaker’s life of non-violence and forgiveness. Azim’s publications include: Azim’s Bardo-From Murder to Forgiveness-A Father’s Journey; From Forgiveness to Fulfillment; From Fulfillment to Peace; and The Secrets of the Bullettprof Spirit: How to Bounce Back from Life’s Hardest Hist. Azim’s curriculum “Forgiveness: The Crown Jewel of Personal Freedom” is used at Morehouse as a component of the Love & Forgiveness in African-American Male Identity, Leadership and Spirituality program funded by the Fetzer Institute and administered jointly by the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, the Morehouse Research Institute and the Office of Housing and Residential Life

Featured Speaker: The Reverend Michael A. Walrond, Jr. '93 Senior Pastor, First Corinthian Baptist Church, New York, NY

Characteristics of A Morehouse Man

David Johns is the executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. This initiative works across federal agencies and with partners and communities nationwide to produce a more effective continuum of education programs for African American students. Prior to joining the Department, Johns was a senior education policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Before working for the Senate HELP committee Johns served under the leadership of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Johns also was a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow and has worked on issues affecting low-income and minority students, neglected youth and early childhood education and with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Speaker: CD Moody '78 Mr. C. David Moody Jr., a 1978 Morehouse College graduate, is the true definition of a Morehouse Man, having completed his Bachelor of Science degree in the area of Psychology. Mr. Moody then continued his education at Howard University, where he completed a Five-year professional degree in Architecture in 1981. He has also taken graduate courses in Architecture at the University of Michigan, as well as some in Construction Management at Georgia Institute of Technology. Although Mr. Moody was born in Chicago and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 14 when his father was the Vice Provost at the University of Michigan, he made Atlanta his home in 1983. Mr. Moody started his career at Bechtel Corporation, the largest construction and engineering company in the United States, as an Architect in its Nuclear Power Plant. He worked in various firms upon his initial return to Atlanta and started C.D. Moody Construction in 1988.

Theme; Black Educators: Bringing Men Back In Sponsored by the Department of Sociology & Morehouse Research Institute Speaker: Jeff Johnson

The 82nd Administration of the Student Government Association officers take their Oath of Office. The guest speaker of the day is Mr. Phillip Agnew, Executive Director of the Dream Defenders

John Silvanus Wilson Jr. '79 the 11th president of Morehouse College