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The April 2024 newsletter highlights some of the Center’s programs that expand the impact of “Morehouse Beyond Borders” and celebrates the experiences of students participating in transformative experiences that shape their perspectives, expand their knowledge, and cultivate independence and respect for their own history and culture, as well as that of others. In March 2024 one of these programs, the AYCGL’s Higher Education in Prisons Program, received a congressional appropriation of $1,636,00 to support this work. This program expands the footprint of Morehouse College to underserved students, providing college courses, and a pathway to a degree, for incarcerated men and women. This issue highlights Morehouse scholar, Calvin Bell, III, in our Scholars of Distinction section and shares the experiences of students traveling abroad. Three scholars share their reflections on the transforming power of study abroad, including Amir Johnson who is currently studying in Finland, Jamari Chavis, who participated in the 2024 International Spring Tour, and Nasir Barnes, who participated in the 2024 Spring HBCU Taiwan Study Tour Program.
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Andrew Young Center awarded Congressional Appropriation of $1,636,000
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With the sponsorship of Congresswoman Nikema Williams, the AYCGL secured $1,636,000 in Community Project Funding to support the expansion of the Andrew Young Center’s Higher Education in Prisons [AYC-HEP] Program. The Higher Education in Prisons Program educates, rehabilitates, and prepares incarcerated students to join the workforce and become contributing members of society. The program recognizes and celebrates the humanity of incarcerated students, cultivating curiosity and learning, and creating a pathway to a degree. The Morehouse College AYC-Higher Education in Prisons Program provides college-level courses to incarcerated men in Georgia prisons.
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With this project funding, the AYC-HEP Program will grow to (1) serve more than 250 incarcerated students annually, (2) expand the number of academic courses and enrichment seminars offered each semester, (3) enhance the AYC-HEP Student Ambassador Program, including tutoring, (4) gain Department of Education approval as a designated Pell site, which would allow students inside prisons to pay for some if not all of their education, (5) strengthen partnerships with local reentry services, (6) provide peer mentoring and library support, and (7) establish a pathway to a Morehouse degree for incarcerated as well as formerly incarcerated scholars.
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AYCGL Scholars of Distinction
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This recurring feature of the Andrew Young Center newsletter highlights an outstanding Morehouse scholar who exemplifies excellence through character, academic achievement, and service to the community.
Calvin Bell, III, is a senior political science and philosophy double major from Pennsauken, New Jersey. As Morehouse College Oprah Winfrey scholar and Rhodes Scholarship Finalist, Mr. Bell has committed himself to being a scholar-activist. At Morehouse, Calvin serves as President of the Pre-Alumni Association, President of the Morehouse Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), a member of the Morehouse College Glee Club, and previously served as Senator-At-Large in the Student Government Association and Editor-In-Chief of the Howard Thurman Honors Program’s academic journal. During the 2023-24 academic year, Mr. Bell participated in the inaugural Morehouse Advocacy Reaching Capitol Hill (MARCH) Program, won first place in the 2024 Otis Moss Jr. and Otis Moss III Oratorical Contest, served as a Candle in the Dark Gala speaker, and recently explored Greece and Portugal on the International Spring Tour.
Outside of campus, Mr. Bell has presented at various conferences, including the Harvard National Collegiate Research Conference, and has publications in the John Hopkins Richard Macksey Journal and the Tufts University ReSentencing Journal. Additionally, he was selected as a 2021 Harvard Kennedy School Public Policy Leadership Conference (PPLC) fellow and a 2023 White House HBCU Recognition Scholar. This past summer, Mr. Bell continued his scholarly pursuits as a research intern with Dr. Anthony Jack at the Harvard School of Education. He also previously interned for New Jersey Senator Cory Booker on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Bell’s relationship with his recently deceased, incarcerated father has inspired his research interests. As a UNCF Mellon Mays Fellow and a 2023 Beinecke Scholar, Mr. Bell has been able to explore the impact of the criminal justice system on those not only incarcerated but also those outside of the system. Through his personal experiences and pursuit of a JD/PhD, he hopes to transform pedagogy, ethics, and the legal system through the frameworks of political philosophy and public policy.
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Calvin Bell, III, represents Morehouse College at the U.S. Capital while participating in the November 2023 MARCH Program.
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Calvin Bell, III, presenting at the 2024 Candle in the Dark.
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The Andrew Young Center is committed to creating and implementing programs that deepen learning and develop leadership through high impact experiences that take students out of their comfort zones, allowing them to grow as individuals and impact the broader community and world. These experiential education programs occur through programs in the United States and abroad.
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African American History and Heritage Study Tour
February 23 - 25, 2024
On February 23 - 25th, the AYCGL hosted the African American History and Heritage Study Tour in Charleston, South Carolina. Fifty-four Morehouse College scholars traveled with AYCGL directors Drs. Sinead Younge and Jann Adams to visit the International African American Museum, the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston, and the McLeod Plantation.
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This trip was an eye-opening experience as learning about chattel slavery, knowing that my ancestors experienced this atrocity, and then visiting an actual plantation where the enslavement of my ancestors happened was paradigm-shifting. Walking on the McLeod plantation, you could feel the sorrow; it was almost tangible. The air was thick with whispers of distress and longing for release, but there were also welcoming whispers. Whispers that wanted the future to see what had happened on that plantation for the future to exist in this space at this time and to never forget. My ancestors not only survived the middle passage, but they had the strength to continue living in their trauma for me to exist. There is no other race on the earth that can endure the same atrocities and continue to flourish. That is why I can say that we are magical people. I have realized that the people who are the same color as the night sky and have different tones of earth are magic. I believe that the leaders of the white supremacist patriarchal society are aware of this magic, and it frightens them, so they try to make us forget and erase our history. To some degree, they have succeeded, but I think that a trip to the McLeod plantation will awaken the memories embedded within our DNA and remind us how magical we are and that magic is still in the air in Charleston.
Junior, Cinema Television and Media Studies Major
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Traveling with a large group of my Morehouse brothers was a life changing experience. Being able to meaningfully engage with the history of our people together was truly something special. Engaging with Dr. Brown was great! I liked the whole trip, honestly. Meeting new people and making new friends is always fun and I did plenty of that. My perspective has been broadened, and I have changed for the better because of this trip.
Sophomore, Economics Major
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International Education at Morehouse
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Morehouse College students have the opportunity to participate in short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs or academic term (semester) programs through direct and exchange programs. Six Morehouse students are studying abroad for the spring semester 2024.
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Amir Johnson, Junior Biology Major Shares His Experience Studying Abroad in Finland this semester through the ISEP Exchange Study. Amir is studying at Abo Akademi University in Turko and shares a little about his experience:
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For me, studying abroad has been a revelation. I sought this opportunity because I knew it would be a challenge, but I had no idea the degree to which I would evolve over the course of my time here. Being placed in an entirely different location unlike anything I ever experienced was jarring and uncomfortable at first due to various dimensions of culture shock. However, the process of adapting to this unfamiliar environment required cultivating a deep sense of self understanding, intuition and confidence that will continue to bear fruit long after I return home.
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Highlights from Spring Break 2024 Study Abroad
During spring break (March 8 - 17, 2024), five faculty-led study abroad programs departed for exciting global destinations! This month the AYCGL newsletter highlights three of these programs: International Spring Tour 2024, the Sustainability Service-Learning Trip to India-Alternative Spring Break, and the 2024 Spring HBCU Taiwan Study Tour Program.
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International Spring Tour 2024
By Mr. Douglas Cooper, Director, Career Services
Mr. Douglas Cooper, Dr. Tiffany Bussey, and Dr. Michael Turner led 14 scholars on the 2024 International Spring Tour! This year marked the 35th Annual International Spring Tour. Fourteen Morehouse College students traveled to Athens, Greece, Lisbon, Portugal, and Paris, France from March 8, 2024 – March 16, 2024. The Tour's purpose is to expose Morehouse students to global business practices and to help them contrast foreign customs and practices to domestic ones. In addition, the Tour provides a platform for students to see and experience cultural/historic sites, Geopolitical entities and opportunities which exist for international education.
Students learned the intersection of endeavors such as: 1) How are financial decisions impacted by global policy? 2) How do war, poverty, slavery, etc. impact migration patterns? 3) What drove ancient cultures to create works of art and forms of worship? and 4) How does marketing strategy relate to current popular culture?
This year the Tour visited the following organizations/historic sites with a focus on business, culture and history, geopolitics, and education:
- CitiBank and Coca Cola – Athens, Greece (Business)
- Acropolis – Athens, Greece (Culture and History)
- U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal (Geopolitical)
- Fulbright Commission – Lisbon, Portugal (Education)
- Eiffel Tower / Seine River – Paris, France (Culture)
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Oprah Winfrey scholar Jamari Chavis, Senior Business Major, Shares His Experience Studying Abroad with the 2024 International Spring Tour
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With immense gratitude I write this reflection to have been selected 1 of 14 scholars to participate in the 35th annual International Spring Tour, a transformative experience across the world to Athens, Greece, Lisbon, Portugal, and Paris, France. I am indebted to have taken part in this rare opportunity seated at the intersection of international business, academia, and tourism with the purpose of exposure to the world’s globalized economy. The purpose of the trip came true to me as invaluable insight into diplomatic relations and their influence on business decisions was gained through conversations with government officials, business leaders, and locals. We were essentially ambassadors for the college and African Americans at large as seemingly everywhere we went, we turned heads evoking a sense of curiosity to what purpose we had in “their country.” This was not my first time abroad. Last summer I had the opportunity to visit South Africa, yet the importance of studying abroad remains the same. Studying abroad allows students to immerse themselves in different cultures, languages, and traditions which, for me, established the realization of how small of a role I play in the larger world. In essence, the interconnectedness of the world assumes parallels of issues in the United States replicated abroad. Problems of inequity and socio-economic imbalance amongst citizens, for example, are issues affecting those both in the states and abroad. Overall, this trip was life-changing, something I will cherish forever as I seek to become a well-rounded, servant leader with capabilities to make meaningful contributions to my immediate community and abroad.
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Sustainability Service-Learning Trip to India-Alternative Spring Break
By Dr. Mona Ray, Professor, Department of Economics
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This Spring Break Drs. Mona Ray and Felix Kamuche led a group of six students to New Delhi, India for an alternative spring break as part of Dr. Ray’s Directed Reading Course in Economics. Students’ majors included Biology, Political Science, Economics, and Business Administration. This is the second cohort of students participating in the Morehouse faculty-led study abroad trip to India.
The major goal of this program was to expose students to sustainability practices in India, a developing country facing resource challenges. The students were taught in their pre-departure sessions about the United Nations mandated 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that every country needs to address. Each day throughout this 5-day trip, students were engaged with a new NGO (non-governmental organization) which addresses issues ranging from social justice to environmental/communal sustainability. In their reflection session each day, students had to identify which SDG goal was being addressed by each of the NGOs. Students also had the opportunity to visit some historical sites, including the Taj Mahal, Humayun Tomb, and Lotus Temple.
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2024 Spring HBCU Taiwan Study Tour Program
Dr. Ruihua Shen, Professor, Chinese Studies
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From March 6 - 16, 2024, Dr. Ruihua Shen from Morehouse College and Dr. Lin Hengwen from Hampton University led the 2024 Spring HBCU Taiwan Study Tour delegation, comprising 21 students who embarked on a ground-breaking journey to Taipei, the capital of the Republic of China. This marked the inaugural visit of a HBCU group to Taiwan and the group was greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by a multitude of organizations and institutions.
The itinerary was rich and diverse, encompassing visits to governmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, museums, natural landmarks, and academies. Among these were the Executive Yuan—the legislative branch of the Republic of China, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development Council of ROC, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, the Presidential Palace, the Taiwan FactCheck Center, the Kuma Academy, the National Human Rights Museum, and the esteemed National Palace Museum.
Additionally, the delegation visited the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Taipei Office. Engaging with US diplomats stationed at AIT provided valuable perspectives into US-Taiwan diplomatic affairs. The African American diplomats offered expert guidance to our aspiring students about their careers and futures.
The delegation explored the charming campus of Soochow University and participated in exciting language exchange activities. The evenings were punctuated by a memorable BBQ dinner hosted by Soochow University, fostering camaraderie as students from both sides shared songs, dances, and laughter. Many participants identified this event as one of the highlights of their experience in Taiwan.
Another highlight of the program was a luncheon with young Taiwanese diplomats. Morehouse students mingled with approximately 50 diplomats-in-training, discussing the issues that mattered to them. They exchanged names and connected with each other via Instagram or Facebook, forging enduring friendships.
The beginning of this transformative program can be traced back to Mr. Daniel Delk, a distinguished Morehouse alumnus and current Acting Consul General in Shanghai for the United States, who proposed this initiative to Dr. Shen in the fall of 2020. Dr. Shen collaborated closely with the U.S. Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and the Department of State’s American Institute in Taiwan to plan the program. Despite initial setbacks due to the pandemic, Dr. Shen resurrected the program through a second proposal to TECRO in October 2023 and TECRO at Washington DC offered strong support.
Almost 200 applications from students attending HBCUs were submitted for this opportunity. A rigorous selection process culminated in the assembly of a diverse cohort of 21 participants from Morehouse College (10), Spelman College (4), Hampton University (4), Bennett College (2), and Prairie View A&M University (1), each equipped with a nuanced understanding of Taiwan's history, politics, and society through pre-trip weekly orientations.
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Nasir Barnes, Junior Mathematics Major/Chinese Studies Minor, Shares His Experience Studying Abroad with the 2024 Spring HBCU Taiwan Study Tour Program
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This tour of Taiwan has been immensely enlightening, providing me with a comprehensive understanding of the country across various dimensions. Firstly, delving into Taiwan's intricate political landscape has afforded me insights into its nuanced relationship with China and its endeavors to assert sovereignty on the global stage. Visits to institutions like the Legislative Yuan and the American Institute in Taiwan have elucidated the diplomatic strategies and challenges shaping Taiwan's position in international affairs.
Immersing myself in Taiwan's cultural diversity has been a richly rewarding experience. Engaging with locals, exploring historical sites, and indulging in Taiwanese cuisine has unveiled the multifaceted tapestry of traditions, rituals, and modern influences that define Taiwanese culture. From vibrant festivals to contemporary art scenes, each encounter has deepened my appreciation for the cultural richness of Taiwan. Moreover, insights into Taiwan's economic development have been eye-opening. Visits to government agencies and economic development centers have shed light on Taiwan's remarkable growth trajectory, particularly in industries like semiconductors and research and development. This emphasis on innovation underscores Taiwan's significance as a global hub for technology and trade.
Conversations surrounding social issues, including gender equality, human rights, and education reform, have broadened my awareness of Taiwan's progressive policies and ongoing challenges. Learning about initiatives aimed at addressing social disparities has underscored Taiwan's commitment to fostering inclusivity and social justice. Furthermore, exploring Taiwan's natural beauty has left an indelible impression. From the majestic peaks of its national parks to the tranquil serenity of its hot springs and coastal vistas, Taiwan's diverse landscapes showcase the country's environmental splendor and conservation efforts.
Overall, this tour has deepened my appreciation for Taiwan's history, culture, and socio-economic dynamics, leaving me with a broader perspective and a profound desire to continue exploring the complexities of this captivating country.
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April 4, 2024 and April 11, 2024: This spring 2024, AYCGL Scholar-in-Residence, Pamela Winn, will present a 3-part AYCGL Teach-in series entitled, Policy Advocacy within the Democratic Process. This series will focus on Ms. Winn’s work as a policy advocate for individuals who are currently and formerly incarcerated. The second and third sessions of the Teach-in will be held on April 4th and April 11, 2024, in Merrill Hall, Room 111.
April 10, 2024: The Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership, in collaboration with the Georgia Coalition of Higher Education in Prison (GACHEP), will host a conference on Reentry and Education on April 10th: EmpowerED. The conference will be held in the Band of America auditorium and Massey Executive Conference Center.
May 19 – June 1, 2024: Oprah Winfrey South Africa Leadership Program. Oprah Winfrey scholars will participate in a transformative study abroad experience in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town, South Africa. The experience will include meetings with community leaders, university and other academic officials, faculty, and students. Visits to historic sites and organizations documenting the history of Apartheid and preserving the legacy of the fight for freedom and justice in South Africa will allow students to learn the extraordinary history of colonization, Apartheid, and revolution in South Africa. Comparative analysis of social justice issues in the United States and South Africa will be explored as scholars complete e-portfolios documenting and reflecting upon their learning about South Africa and themselves.
May 19 – June 1, 2024: South Africa Social Justice Experience. The Andrew Young Center’s Institute for Social Justice Inquiry and Praxis will lead its second study abroad experience to South Africa. This unique experience focuses on culture, politics, and the contemporary social conditions of South Africa with a special emphasis on the social activism of South African youth.
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The Young Center for Global Leadership’s video podcast More Conversations was initiated in the fall 2020 and aims to put scholars and subject matter experts in conversation about topics that are important to both the collegiate and broader communities.
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A Note of Gratitude to Our Sponsors
The work of the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, including The Coca Cola Company, Bank of America, Ms. Oprah Winfrey and the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, the SMASH Foundation, Delta Airlines, Gilead Sciences, Inc., the Microsoft Corporation, the Julian Grace Foundation, and the Cigna Foundation. We wish to thank these donors for their sustained support of the AYCGL.
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