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This year, 2022, marks the 25th Anniversary of the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership (AYCGL) and the 90th birthday of the namesake of the Center, Ambassador Andrew J. Young. Over the course of this year, the AYCGL will celebrate the leadership legacy of Ambassador Young and the history of the Leadership Center at Morehouse College.
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Andrew Young Center Scholarship Programs
The Andrew Young Center’s Institute for International and Experiential Education is home to two scholarship programs, the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program and SMASH Scholars Program. Both scholarship programs provide social justice-focused leadership training, academic support, and experiences that expand and deepen learning.
SMASH Scholars Program
Founded in the fall 2020, the Morehouse SMASH Scholars Program provides financial support, social justice leadership development experiences, and academic advising to support academic success and the pursuit of STEM careers. The program supports undergraduate student alumni of the SMASH Summer Program, a three-year STEM-intensive residential college prep program for underrepresented students of color.
During the 2021-22 academic year, the SMASH Scholars Program supported 18 students - 17 sophomores and 1 freshman. SMASH scholars meet as a community on a weekly basis with meetings focused on strategies for success in college and in STEM, social justice, and individual development. In October 2021, a SMASH study hall was established to support the academic success of scholars. In addition to the development of 4-year academic plans and individualized review of academic performance at mid-term and after finals, scholars created individual development plans (IDP) to provide short and long-term goals for academic and professional development.
Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program
The Morehouse College Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program continues to thrive thanks to generous gifts from Ms. Oprah Winfrey and the support of the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Ms. Winfrey’s gifts to Morehouse College, totaling $25,000,000, created an endowment that has supported the educations of over 700 Men of Morehouse and allowed hundreds to travel to South Africa as participants in the Oprah Winfrey South Africa Leadership Program. During the 2021-22 academic year, fifty-five Oprah Winfrey Scholars, including 11 freshmen, 10 sophomores, 18 juniors, and 16 seniors, participated in the program.
The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program (OWSP) provides a scaffolded constellation of leadership development and service experiences for scholars. All students participated in monthly community-building activities and attended the Andrew Young Center’s Leadership Lecture Series. Freshman scholars participated in social justice discussions and professional development sessions. Sophomores participated in a professional development workshop series focused on academic success and planning for graduate school. Finally, seniors created a capstone project that included a virtual reality video as well as implemented the MORE Conversations podcasts, the OWSP’s social justice podcast. All scholars participated in a day of service; and sophomores, juniors, and seniors served our community through mentoring and academic coaching. The Oprah Winfrey South Africa Leadership Program, a study abroad program for scholars, traveled to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa to learn about the history, politics, and culture of South Africa.
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Experiential Education for Scholars
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SMASH and Oprah Winfrey scholars participated in experiential education opportunities designed to deepen learning of social justice issues and enhance leadership development.
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Ambassador Andrew Young 90th Birthday Celebration, March 10-12, 2022
As a civil rights leader, ambassador to the U.N. congressman, mayor of Atlanta, and pastor, Andrew Young serves as a beacon of hope and change to create more just and equitable lives and opportunities. Scholars and members of the Morehouse community were honored to join in Ambassador Young’s 90th Birthday Celebrations. On March 10, 2022, scholars participated in the Walk for Peace and Reconciliation and on Saturday, March 12, 2022, scholars and OWSP leadership joined in the 90th Year Birthday Gala celebrating Ambassador Young’s life and service.
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EJI Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, March 19, 2022
Oprah Winfrey and SMASH scholars traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to visit the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum provides an immersive and powerful experience, walking visitors through the United States' extensive and history of white supremacy and racial terror, including the slave trade, Jim Crow laws, and racial terrorism, including the history of lynching in the United States. Visitors explore these topics, moving through captivating exhibits which utilize art, extensive data, and interactive media. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a sacred space dedicated to the more than 4,400 African American men, women, and children who, between 1877 and 1950, were victims of racial terror.
After visiting the Museum and Memorial, scholars attended a private lecture given by Anthony Ray Hinton. In 1987 Mr. Hinton was wrongly convicted of murder and served 28 years on death row. The Equal Justice Initiative worked to have his conviction overturned. After his exoneration in 2015, Hinton wrote a book entitled "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row." Mr. Hinton delivered a powerful lecture steeped in survival, forgiveness, and vulnerability. He implored the audience to be aware of the challenges of mass incarceration and wrongful incarcerations, how the system is unjust to people of color and those who lack financial means, and the importance of creating a more just criminal legal system. To continue the reflection, each scholar received a copy of Mr. Hinton's book for community reading.
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Social Justice Collective “Mechanism Design for Black Lives”, May 18-19, 2022
The Center’s Institute for Research, Civic Engagement, and Policy and its Social Justice Collective held a Mechanism Design for Black Lives Think Tank, which brought into conversation emerging and established leaders to explore the intersection of technology, the humanities, the arts, community organizing, and social justice. Rachel Harding of UC-Denver and the Veterans of Hope project, Jessica Finocchiaro of CU-Boulder and Mechanism Design for Social Good, Daniel Minter of the Indigo Arts Alliance, and Nathaniel Smith of the Partnership for Southern Equity convened in the Massey Leadership Building on May 18-19, 2022, to exchange ideas and explore how the Andrew Young Center can integrate the fields of data science and social justice work. The broader goal of the meeting was to develop a joint research and community engagement project to impact historically marginalized black communities in Atlanta.
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September 7th, Wednesday, 11:00am – 3:00 pm, in Massey Conference Center.
The 2022 International Education Symposium will highlight the spring and summer 2022 study abroad experiences of Morehouse students. The symposium will feature poster and oral presentations, as well as a panel discussion including students who participated in semester-long study abroad experiences.
September 16th, Friday, 12:30 pm, in Massey 238/240.
Justin McClinton, Ph.D., will give a lecture on Social Justice Leadership entitled, “America’s Crisis in Leadership: Where do Black men stand?” Open to students and faculty. Sponsored by the Leadership Studies Institute.
September 20, Tuesday at 4:00-5:30pm in Leadership 444.
Brittney Griner Teach In. This event will discuss the latest developments in the Brittney Griner case and explore the intersection of sports, gender, race and politics. This event is being sponsored by the Institute for Social Justice Inquiry and Praxis and the Office of International Education.
September 22, Thursday 6:00-7:30pm Location TBA.
Statewide Georgia Constitutional Seats Elections Forum. In partnership with Clark Atlanta University and the Institute for Social Justice Inquiry and Praxis and the Institute for Research, Civic Engagement and Policy. Georgia candidates will discuss their platforms. Open to the general public and will be live streamed.
September 30, Friday 5:00pm Deadline for participation in the 2nd Annual RAND-AUC Hackathon.
This is a week-long opportunity for students from throughout the Atlanta University Center to work in multidisciplinary teams to develop solutions to justice related social issues.
Applications: https://andrewyoungcenter.org/student-opportunities-1/rand-auc-2nd-annual-hackathon
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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 Coca Cola, Bank of America, Ms. Oprah Winfrey and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, the SMASH Foundation, Delta Airlines, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Microsoft, the Julian Grace Foundation, The General, and the RAND Corporation. We wish to thank these donors for their sustained support of the AYCGL.
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