[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2522-2523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Bishop) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and pleasure to 
rise today to recognize my alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta, 
Georgia, as it celebrates 150 years of educating, training, and 
empowering outstanding leaders.
  The year-long sesquicentennial celebration began in January 2017, and 
will include many events for students, faculty, staff, administrators, 
donors, families, and friends of Morehouse College. The theme of the 
celebration is ``A House United,'' which highlights Morehouse's 
position as a unifying force around the globe and here at home.
  Tracing its roots back to the Reconstruction era after the Civil War, 
Morehouse was founded in 1867, as the Augusta Theological Institute in 
Augusta, Georgia. The school was founded by Reverend William Jefferson 
White, with the encouragement of Reverend Richard Coulter and Reverend 
Edmund Turney. It aimed to prepare Black men for ministry and teaching.
  In 1879, the Augusta Theological Institute moved to the basement of 
the Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta and was renamed the Atlanta 
Baptist Seminary. In 1885, the institution relocated to its current 
site in Atlanta's West End community. The seminary became a liberal 
arts college and was subsequently renamed the Atlanta Baptist College.
  During these early years in Morehouse's history, the institution 
expanded its curriculum and established the tradition of educating 
leaders for all areas of life. In 1913, Atlanta Baptist College was 
renamed Morehouse College after the corresponding secretary of the 
Northern Baptist Home Mission Society, Henry L. Morehouse.
  Throughout its 150-year history, Morehouse College has made a 
significant mark on our State, our Nation, and the world. Here, many 
notable men gained the knowledge and training that enabled them to 
become some of the greatest influences of our time, including Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr.; noted theologian Dr. Howard Thurman; civil 
rights leader Julian Bond; filmmaker Shelton ``Spike'' Lee; Olympic 
gold medalist Edwin Moses; CEO of the Silicon Valley Community 
Foundation, Emmitt Carson; and many more.
  Morehouse principles often instill a desire for public service to 
benefit mankind. In the United States Congress, Representative Cedric 
Richmond, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as many 
staff members and former Members of Congress, hold degrees from 
Morehouse.
  U.S. Presidents have relied on alumni such as former Secretary of 
Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Health and Human 
Services Dr. Louis Sullivan, former Surgeon General Dr. Daniel Satcher, 
and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations James Nabrit, Jr.
  Around the country, State and local governments have been led by 
alumni such as Maynard H. Jackson, the first African-American mayor of 
Atlanta, Georgia.
  As a 1968 graduate of Morehouse College, this one-of-a-kind 
institution has a special place in my heart. During my matriculation, I 
got to know on a personal level the late Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the most 
renowned president of Morehouse, who was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Through him, I met Dr. King during his life, followed him in 
protest marches, and sang at his funeral, which was held on the campus 
and attended by many national and international luminaries.
  Today, under the leadership of the 11th president of Morehouse 
College, Dr. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., also an alumnus, the school 
continues to be consistently ranked as one of the top colleges in the 
Nation and among the highest respected Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities. As the Nation's largest liberal arts college for men, 
Morehouse has conferred more bachelor's degrees on Black men than any 
other institution in the world.

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  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Morehouse College for 150 years of preparing young men to aspire to 
unique and distinctive goals while leading lives of leadership and 
service. This institution was born out of the death of slavery in 
America. It guided young Black men through the era of segregation in 
the South, and it continues to empower marginalized populations against 
the oppression still prevalent in the world today. It is my hope that 
the generations of Morehouse Men of today and tomorrow will continue 
the progress and continue to leave their marks on our Nation and the 
world.

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