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Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year at Morehouse College. We hope that the Morehouse community had a wonderful summer. In this month’s newsletter, we highlight the June 2023 Society for Community Research and Action’s 19th Biennial Conference held on the Morehouse College campus and hosted by the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership (AYCGL). We also will share some of the exciting upcoming events we have planned for the fall semester.
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19th Biennial Society for Community Research and Action Hybrid Conference
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The Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership hosted the 19th Biennial Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) Conference, American Psychological Association’s Division 27. The theme of this year’s conference was “Where do we go from here: Dreaming New Community Futures.” This was the first time an HBCU hosted the conference and SCRA’s first hybrid conference, with over 700 attendees from across the globe and 500 sessions. The AYCGL would like to thank the conference local planning committee, volunteers, and attendees. This year’s conference incorporated themes from Dr. Martin Luther King’s last book. “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” and the concept of Afrofuturism. The two invited plenary speakers were Ryan Gravel, an urban designer whose master’s thesis was the original vision of the Atlanta Beltline, and Dr. Aisha Nyandoro. Dr. Nyandoro is CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson, Mississippi based non profit that uses a “radically resident-driven approach to end generational poverty. Dr. Nyandoro also is the creator of Magnolia Mother’s Trust, the country’s longest running guaranteed income program.
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Conference Plenary Speakers
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Ryan Gravel (left), Aisha Nyandoro (right)
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AYCGL Dream Keeper’s Mini Grantee Presentation
In 2022, with the support of funding from Gilead Sciences, the AYCGL awarded five mini-grants to nonprofit organizations in the Atlanta area focused on health and education. Mini grant awardees were able to present their work at the Biennial Conference in a presentation entitled, “Reflecting on DuBois’ Atlanta University Studies through the Lens of Current Community Partnerships.” Presenters discussed the opportunities and challenges of community work and college partnerships.
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Presentation of Mini-Grant Awardees
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SCRA Awards
Each Biennial Conference includes a session to recognize awardees from the past two years. This year, the conference program chair and visiting professor in the department of psychology, Dr. Dominique Thomas, and conference chair and professor of psychology, Dr. Sinead Younge, were awarded early career (2022) and outstanding educator (2023) awards, respectively.
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Dr. Dominique Thomas (left), Dr. Sinead Younge (right)
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Conference Wrap Up
The AYCGL was pleased to host the Biennial Conference and provide scholarships to our local community partners and our colleagues and students joining us virtually from Zimbabwe. We also provided a healing space for all attendees. The space, facilitated by Peret Akhu Healers, included Reiki, Sound Baths, meditation, and Kemetic Yoga. We recognize the importance of promoting well-being and joy in these spaces. Our closing reception was held at the Gathering Spot where attendees were treated to the musical embodiment of Afrofuturism with the band, Common Ground Collective. The next Biennial Conference will be in 2025 and we hope to see you there.
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Andrew Young Center’s Higher Education in Prisons (AYC-HEP) Program
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Over the summer break, AYC-HEP faculty teaching affiliates, Dr. Nathaniel Norment, Dr. Robert Edwards, Dr. Kipton Jensen, Dr. Justin McClinton, and Mr. Winfield Murray, Esq. taught courses and provided seminars at Metro Reentry, Burruss Correctional, and the US Federal Penitentiary. Dr. Norment recently received a “Volunteer of the Year” award for his service as an AYC-HEP teaching affiliate at the US Federal Penitentiary [USFP]; Dr. McClinton, second from left, above, who also teaches at the USFP, accepted the award on Dr. Norment’s behalf. In July 2023, Dr. Jensen participated in the 2-week Bard Prison Initiative Summer Residency.
We are pleased to announce the members of the 2023/2024 cohort of AYC-HEP Student Ambassadors, ten Morehouse scholars who will play integral roles in this year’s program. We wish to thank the 2022/2023 cohort of AYC-HEP Student Ambassadors for their service and leadership. Several of our AYC-HEP student ambassadors will attend the upcoming National Coalition of Higher Education in Prisons [NCHEP] Conference, which is held this year in Atlanta from November 9th-11th.
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2023/2024 cohort of AYC-HEP Student Ambassadors (left to right): Mr. Myles Tucker ('26), Mr. Khyler McAlpine ('27), Mr. Adian Patterson ('26), Mr. Omari Whiting ('26), Mr. Thishin Jackson ('25), Mr. Kaylon Charles ('26), Mr. Calvin Bell III ('24), Mr. Jyhir Jordan ('26), Mr. Tristin St. John ('25), and Mr. William Wasson ('26).
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Meet the 2023-2024 AYCGL Scholar-in-Residence
Pamela Winn
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Photos via Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
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Pamela Winn is a captivating storyteller, visionary thinker, and founder of RestoreHER US., a policy advocacy reentry organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of directly impacted women. Ms. Winn works in partnership with women to end the mass incarceration of women of color and pregnant women.
Ms. Winn is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including a 2019 Soros Justice Fellow with Open Society Foundation. Ms. Winn has set out to right wrongs perpetrated against incarcerated women, not just in Georgia, but across America, and has inspired the passing of bills in dozens of states, as well as an invitation to speak at the White House's first Prison Reform Summit. Ms. Winn is a proud alumnus of Spelman College who has worked closely with students in the Atlanta University Center. This year-long AYCGL scholar-in-residence will allow Ms. Winn to build on her existing work with the AUC and includes collaboration with Morehouse College students and faculty, policy curriculum development and implementation, lectures, a white paper, and documentary viewing. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Pamela Winn to the AYCGL! Ms. Winn was recently quoted in an Atlanta Journal Constitution article about expanding education to individuals who are incarcerated. The full access to her comments is located here.
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U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Reuben Brigety, II, visits Morehouse College
On August 21, 2023, Ambassador Reuben Brigety visited Morehouse College to speak to students studying political science and to enjoy lunch with Morehouse students and faculty. Ambassador Brigety spoke to Drs. Levar Smith and Hye Ryeon’s Political Science classes on the topic, The Harmonies of Liberty: The Heritage and Horizons of Black Men in American Diplomacy. Dr. Brigety focused on the importance of global diplomacy and its historic connection with African American men. The Ambassador noted that Frederick Douglas served as U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Ralph Bunche was the first African American to win the Nobel Prize, and Ed Perkins, who was a career foreign service minister who served several presidents over a career spanning 24 years. Ambassador Brigety also spoke of the responsibility of Morehouse men to uphold the mission of the college to serve by becoming engaged in global affairs.
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Office of International Education
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2023-24 Study Abroad Ambassadors
In August three talented students who studied abroad during the 2022-23 academic year were selected as OIE Study Abroad Ambassadors. We are pleased to announce that Dalton Favors, Hudson Osborne, and Cuba Sellenberg are the 2023-24 OIE Study Abroad Ambassadors! OIE Ambassadors support their peers in the study abroad application process, partner with student organizations and residential assistants on programming with a cross-cultural component, and help at OIE campus-wide events. This year we are excited to have a Morehouse international student as an ambassador to help promote the importance of international education on campus!
Andrew Young Fund for International Scholars
The AYCGL recently established The Andrew Young Fund for International Scholars to support students with financial need who plan to study abroad. The scholarship, funded by a $1 million gift to the AYCGL, will award up to $2400 to support students participating in faculty-led study abroad programs and up to $1400 to students participating in semester-long study abroad programs. Students planning to study abroad are encouraged to apply for the award. To learn more, please contact Ms. Maraina Montgomery (maraina.montgomery@morehouse.edu), Director of International Education, or Ms. Jeanine White (jeanine.white@morehouse.edu), Program Coordinator for Study Abroad.
Learn more about study abroad! Join the Office of International Education for an information session to get started!
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The Morehouse Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa [ODK]
The Morehouse Circle of ODK, the national honor society for leadership, inducted 26 new members into our Circle in May 2023. This year’s National ODK Conference will be held in Atlanta from November 17 -19, 2023. Two Morehouse student officers will represent our Circle at the conference. We are pleased to announce that Mr. Calvin Bell III received the “Circle Leader of the Year” award.
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Calvin Bell, III, Omicron Delta Kappa Circle Leader of the Year
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Oprah Winfrey Scholars Visit South Africa
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On May 15, 2023, nine Oprah Winfrey Scholars embarked on the 12-day South Africa Leadership Program. This transformative study abroad experience included visits to universities, historic sites, museums, and other educational sites in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Pilanesberg, Durban, and Cape Town, South Africa.
University visits included the University of Pretoria, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town, and the University of South Africa. Engaging and informative visits to the Mandela Foundation (Johannesburg), the Gandhi foundation (Durban), and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation (Cape Town), allowed scholars to explore the lives, accomplishments, challenges, and leadership philosophies of these great leaders. Visits to historic sites and organizations included the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pieterson Museum, Mandela House, and Robben Island. Scholars experienced Cape Town’s Slave Lodge to learn about the roles of enslaved peoples in the building of South Africa that set the stage for Apartheid.
Scholars engaged with students at the African Leadership Academy and visited the offices of NBA Africa where they enjoyed a presentation by NBA Africa COO, George Land, ‘85. A day of service at the Mahou AIDS Orphanage allowed scholars to serve food, play soccer with the children, and help to enhance the physical space. Finally, a visit to Pilanesberg National Park allowed students to enjoy a game drive with many animal sightings!
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities
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August 30, 2023. 9:00 am - 11:30 am: The Morehouse College Study Abroad Fair will be held on Kilgore Plaza. The Study Abroad Fair is an opportunity for students to meet with study abroad providers, learn about the college’s passport program, and start their study abroad journey!
August 30, 2023. 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Morehouse will host the International Education Symposium: Preparing Men of Morehouse for Lives as Ethical Leaders in a Global World. The 2nd Annual International Education Symposium will feature oral and poster presentations, a panel discussion, opportunities to learn about semester abroad student opportunities, and raffles for study abroad scholarships. The 2nd Annual International Educational Symposium is sponsored by Delta Airlines and will be held in the Shirley Massey Conference Center.
September 11, 2023, Application Deadline. The Andrew Young Fellowship Program is an opportunity for faculty and students to develop and implement projects that advance social justice and leadership. The Fellowship supports faculty and students as they undertake projects that engage and inform, generate conversation, change policy or practice, and catalyze change. Full-time and part-time faculty are eligible to receive an award of up to $5000. Please contact Jann Adams (jann.adams@morehouse.edu) for more information.
September 15, 2023, Application Deadline. The Social Justice Health Scholars Program is open to students interested in obtaining an internship in a mental health related field. Contact Dr. Sinead Younge (sinead.younge@morehouse.edu) if interested the application can be found here.
October 9 - November 9, 2023. The Many Lives of Andrew Young Exhibit. The AYCGL is pleased to host The Many Lives of Andrew Young, an exhibit on loan from the National Monuments Foundation which chronicles the life and accomplishments of Ambassador Andrew Young. The AYCGL invites Morehouse community members to visit the exhibit and explore the contributions of Ambassador Young to Atlanta and the larger global community. The exhibit will be housed in the African American Hall of Fame.
October 20, 2023. 1:00pm - 3:00 pm: The Art of Recovery Performance. This exciting event will be hosted by the R2ISE Theatre and will honor first responders, medical personnel and other frontline heroes through the arts. The event will take place in the Ray Charles Performing Arts Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
November 4, 2023. 7:00 am - 7:00 pm: Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice Day. Individual students, faculty, and entire classes are encouraged to join the AYCGL as we travel to Montgomery, Alabama to experience the EJI Legacy Museum and Peach and Justice Memorial. The Museum chronicles and lays bare the U.S. history of slavery, reconstruction, lynching, and mass incarceration. The Memorial honors those who died through racial terror and lynching. Please contact Marissa Baham (marissa.baham@morehouse.edu) to register. Transportation to and from Morehouse College and lunch will be provided.
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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 Charitable Foundation, the SMASH Foundation, Delta Airlines, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, the Julian Grace Foundation, the Cigna Foundation, and the RAND Corporation. We wish to thank these donors for their sustained support of the AYCGL.
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