Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. ’56 and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. ’92 | Baccalaureate - May 20, 2017

I'm pleased to welcome you to our annual baccalaureate service in our one hundred and thirty-third commencement season and to our 150th school year at its apex [Applause] Morehouse College was founded in the Silver Bluff Springfield Baptist Church in the city of Augusta Georgia in 1867 our history can be traced back to 1787 when old Springfield Church was founded as the oldest independent black church of any denomination according to the United States interior department the baccalaureate sermon is the occasion for our College to recognize spirituality as the fundamental enterprise in liberal arts education and that religion and faith play integral roles in adding meaning value virtue traits depth and diversity to the human experience I now call upon Tweety Bird senior pastor of historic old doable of Springfield Baptist Church of Augusta the likes of handle of the mystique symbolizing our model except that loveless and there is life now all of our faculty staff and administrators please mrs. Yvonne Gloucester in the life of our seventh president hugh morrus gloucester please stand [Applause] this is Gloucester this week presented to the chapel an oral portrait of dr. Gloucester who anniversary of his installation as president we celebrate today which marks his 50th and you'll hear more about that in just a moment but if you'd like to view the very beautiful oral portraits done by the late Huan Cheung it's on display in the chapel library and we invite you to drop by dr. June hops the former chair of the board of trustees at Spellman won't you please rise dr. Hobbs is the wives also of one of our former or late Provost now I call on Miss maroon and white and her court please stand [Applause] and the family of the late student random key [Applause] Douglas Alexander Bowen valedictorian Michael Christopher Scott valedictorian [Applause] Gerard Randolph van Lew salutatorian [Applause] Demaryius Brinkley senior class president our members of your family here you may rise and be seen [Applause] and now the parents and guardians the people who made this day possible please rise [Applause] [Music] now the mighty class of 2017 you may stand [Applause] [Applause] [Music] we are very happy to welcome today our two preachers the Reverend doctors Otis Moss jr. and Otis Moss the third they will be more formally introduced later by our interim president dr. William J Taggart now I invite you to look at the back of your programs there you will find list it this is the back page number the list of all of the Morehouse alumni who transitions will ascend it since last commencement including Brandon key I invite you to bow your heads to your hearts in a moment of silence and gratefully remember their contributions as one spiritually aware congregation I invite you all to say Amen we are now ready for our program to proceed as you have it printed before you so I invite the president of the senior class Demaryius Vidale brinkley to deliver our sesquicentennial Eve occasion [Applause] let us pray infinite spirit thou who art Alpha and Omega everywhere present and there is no place where you are not the one who is Omni abundance and in whom there is no poverty lack limitation or disease only wholeness perfection and completeness and the bridge between hardship and hallelujah indeed there is no darkness only eternal light envy we live move and have our being and because we are envy and you are in a we are never alone cosmic companionship is forever ours all the truth that you are their spirit all the goodness health success wealth realization is right where we are and we can call on it and we can tap into it by becoming aware that God's gifts to us are closer than our breathing and closer than our heartbeat in the midst of silence and distress you speak and grant us peace a peace that will surpass all of our understanding for this is your word god we hear you speaking and we are moved by your spirit we are not our mistakes we are not our procrastination we are not our withdrawals nor our transcript we are not our checking's accounts we are not moved by the troubling Gloucester Hall and the alienating apprehensions of finals week and how am I going to make it hardships of the administrative clearance process but we are more than conquerors for we are chosen and we are prepared and so dear God we pause and gratitude grateful for what you have done and what you are getting ready to do thank you for breathing strength into our body thank you for breathing preeminent wisdom into the faculties of our minds God we have known late night yet even in our time of study we have heard your voice we have heard you speaking in the darkness and now Lord we hear we hear that same voice speaking the in the illumination of this hour in the newness of this moment the same voice that spoke to our founder the Reverend William Jefferson white 150 years ago now speaks to Jonathan delante Hill and it spoke to Benjamin Elijah Mays it now speaks to Ryan Clifford George as it spoke to how what Washington Thurman announced speaks to Johnson Adira me grinds as it spoke to dr. Joseph Q Robert announced speaks to Gregory Dean Barbara Robyn Brooks McKinney Avery Dominique Williams Jackson Brandon Burdette Porter and Kevin Andrew coca-cola and the car remains the same we are called to be faithful servants of a few things and you will make us rulers over mud we ask that you raise up members of this class and as you raise each of them we are trusting you to take the intellectual power and moral consciousness that rests on Brown Street to Wall Street we are trusting you to move the global compassion and spiritual realization from the chapel library to the political pulpit in the United States Congress we are trusting you to take the value of diversity and equal access that exists at the heart of state space and stretch it to every other world space take these thinkers doers and leaders and place them at the front doors of the global community the Beloved Community eternal spirit everlasting father you have beaten back the force of adversity and here we stand in victory once again we embrace the beckoning to become to become what they said that we could not become to become what our ancestors sacrifice for what grandmother cried about what our mothers dreamed about and what our grades cannot realize and we are set to become even more than what we imagined for ourselves we now open up our hearts and spirits to receive all that you have for us it is in the name and the nature of Jesus Christ that I do release this prayer let all who affirmed and word in action say Amen amen amen [Applause] good afternoon class of 2017 I'm proud to be involved this is this is my first official activity as the new chair of the Board of Trustees as I will forever remember this class has given me this opportunity baccalaureate service is believed to have originated at the University of Oxford in 1432 each graduate was required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic requirements for graduation the graduates were then honored with the placement of a crown of bay laurel leaves on their heads this practice was adapted for the American Academy in 1760 and what is now Princeton University today baccalaureate services at u.s. colleges and universities are usually held a few days before commencement and it can feature a sermon or homily by a prominent religious or spiritual leader at Morehouse we have elevated the traditional baccalaureate service and made it our home first the Morales baccalaureate service pays homage to our roots and ancient Africa where there was no separation between science philosophy and the sacred the presidential chair medallion and mace you see on the stage are carved with symbols of universal African troops that represents academic ideas ethical leadership and wisdom the mace was escorted into the Capitol by the grand marshal dr. Toby Johnson class of 1954 [Applause] chairman of the department of political science dr. Johnson the longest-serving faculty member in the history of Morehouse is retiring after 59 years of service at the college [Applause] second the Morehouse baccalaureate service pays homage to our route in America our founding in the basement of the silver bluffs Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta Georgia we champion the education of newly freed slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War the Dean of the chapel the reverend dr. lawrence at work corridor senior preside over the baccalaureate Lert liturgy he led the graduates into the Martin Luther King jr. International Chapel for the final prophetic sermon that they will hear together as a class before they graduate finally the Morehouse baccalaureate service pays homage to the future of our graduates who are destined to lead and serve the world instead of a physical crown we bestow upon our graduates it's symbolic crown inspired by the words of John Hope the fourth president of Morehouse and popularized by the theologian and philosopher howard washington sermon class of 1923 and I quote over the heads of her students more households a crown that she challenges them to grow tall enough to wear in the club we affirm that these young men have met the qualifications to wear the crown that they have earned the right to be called Morehouse men and we challenge them to continue learning continue growing so that the crowd will always fit during freshman orientation the college lit the candle of mystique for this class to mark the beginning of its time at Morehouse and at the end of this service we will extinguish that candle to symbolize that the light that beckons the pathways to freedom and opportunities the light that dispels the shadows of fear and self-doubt is now instilled in the men of the class of 2017 it is this the hundred and fiftieth anniversary year of the founding of the college we pray that each of you will be the light forever the light thank you [Applause] is exhausting we want to dedicate these comments to you American philosopher William James his credit II was saying to improve the golden moment of opportunity and catch the goods within our reach is the great art of life over the course of war House colleges 150 year history we have experienced many noteworthy golden moments of opportunity times we were motivated by the good we had already created to create even more one of those golden moments was 1967 fifty years ago at the Nexus of the leadership of dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays who retired that year and was sixth president and dr. hugh morrus lost a senior who was lay in that year and more as Martha's seventh president visible means was an influential teacher preacher scholar author editorialists mentor politician and activist in the civil rights movement in addition to being president of Morehouse for 27 years he established a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at the college enraged the institution to international prominence remains his most fondly remembered was Tuesday morning chapel talks historic steel Hall Chapel where he challenged students to excellence and scholarship and life among those who were inspired by his message was Martin Luther King jr. who called lays his spiritual mentor and intellectual father Hugh Gloucester a member of the Morehouse class of 1931 was the first alumnus to serve as president Morehouse College the position he held for 20 years he was an accomplished administrator teacher writer speaker visionary founder in USO wartime executive as well as an American representative and educational programs internationally from the glossners leadership more outs expanding its faculty enhanced exact attack Edenic program doubled in size and enrollment and quadruple its endowment earning Gloucester recognition among his peers is one of the most effective college presidents in the United States Gloucester is responsible for the construction of a Martin Luther King jr. International Chapel this hallowed Hall where we gather today to celebrate the class of 2017 when this 50th anniversary or the departure of mais une arrival of Gloucester we in great celebration the Reverend dr. Edward Carter senior that serves as the only dean of the chapel since 1979 under his leadership for the past 38 years the chapel has been the iconic brand that symbolizes war house and its values every year the chapel hosts war than 25,000 visitors and it has provided a covenant speaking platform for many noted world leaders US President Jimmy Carter and William Jefferson Clinton South African president Nelson Mandela Knox Bishop Desmond Tutu and philanthropists and media mogul Oprah Winfrey to name a few looking back we can appreciate how amazed and Glaus those contributions of brown Morehouse the spiritual ethos emphasis on character development and commitment to scholarship leadership and service the hallmarks of the unique educational experience that has and continues to shape the lives generations of Morehouse man I'm proud to be one of those men this marks the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation for more hands sooner than I had imagined it would happen I have earned membership in the most elite of war house clubs the gold and tigress along with my fellow classmates from the great class of 1967 in this year I come to the end of my schedule 6-year term the chairman of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees and 20 years of service on the board and the board has honored me with the title of chairman emeritus so so indeed this is the golden moment for me but more important is the golden moment for Morehouse in the traditional maze in Gloucester may we continue to realize our golden moments of opportunity and catch the good this is the thing that is within our reach may we eat may we each continue to do our part to help transform Morehouse from glory to greater glory god bless you and God bless Morehouse College [Applause] you you [Music] you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] here now the 139th division of the songs Oh Lord thou has searched me and known me thou knowest my down sitting and mine up rising thou understandest my thoughts afar o thou compass my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways for there is not a word in my tongue but lower lord thou knowest it altogether thou has to beset me behind and before and laid down hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me it is high I cannot attain unto it whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence if I ascend up into heaven thou art there if I make my bed in hell behold thou art there if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me if I say surely the darkness shall cover me even the night shall be the light about about me yay the darkness hide it not from thee but the night shyness as the day the darkness and the light are both alike to be for thou hast possessed my reigns thou has too covered me in my mother's womb I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works and my soul knoweth right well my substance was not hid from thee when I was made and secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth mine eyes did see my substance yet being unperfect and in thy book all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them how precious also are thy thoughts on to me O God how great is the Sun some of them if I should count them they are more in number than the sand when I awake I am still with thee the Word of God for the people of God thanks be to God [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] Oh Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] class of 2017 you can do better than my brother's class of 2017 parents with special guests you're in for tree on sacred occasions such as this it is easy to remember to count one's blessings as we prepare to graduate yet another strong thorough class for Morehouse College we cannot help but be aware of the many blessings of faith and fortitude compassion and courage vision and provision that has accompanied these young man throughout their jerk today we have more blessings than usual to count we have just not one but two amazing creatures who will deliver the last sermon our graduates will hear before they move from men of Morehouse to Morehouse men [Applause] now these are not just any ordinary creatures they are a dynamic duo a father and son whose leadership and service to the church in society are laudable the father the Reverend dr. Otis Moss Jun a theologian pastor civic leader in a member of the great class in 1956 he served as senior pastor at the historic Oliver all of an institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland Ohio for 33 years before he retired in 2008 the son the Reverend dr. Otis Moss the third a community advancement and social justice activist is a member of a great class of 1992 he serves as the senior pastor at defame Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago Illinois the father Reverend Wallace jr. has been an advocate for education civil and human rights and social justice throughout his amazing career he's going to remember the board to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Martin Luther King jr. Center for nonviolent social change and for more than 30 years he served on the board here at Morehouse College 10 of those years as his chair in conjunction with University Hospitals health systems and all of us he provided the vision to help establish the oldest mosque junior University Hospitals Health Center which provides a wide range of medical services to the needy people in the Cleveland metropolitan area the Sun Reverend Moss the third practices and preaches a black theology that calls attention to the problems of mass incarceration environmental injustice and economic inequality a prophetic preacher with a gift for communicating across generations in our affinity for jazz and hip-hop music he delivers Bible based messages as universal love and justice that inspired the young and old alike as part of his community engagement through Trinity he has led development of the my life curriculum my life matters curricular which includes get home safe ten rules of survival a video created after the death of Michael Brown at the hands of police and Ferguson Missouri the father has earned numerous honors and awards including being named twice by every magazine as one of America's greatest black preachers and being exhausted in the 2007 class of the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame the Sun has been recognized by his peers as well the route 100 a who's who of influential African Americans identified him in their inaugural selection as emerging leaders making extraordinary contributions to society together father and son wrote a book a sermon title preached the power and purpose behind our praise and together father and son doubly bless us today with a sermon process twin Centennial baccalaureate service ladies and junk please help and welcome on 2017 baccalaureate preachers the Reverend dr. Otis Moss jr. and a reverend dr. Otis Moss the [Applause] two presidents Agron we thank you for your leadership and a very kind introduction for the work that you are doing here and for this honor to have the opportunity to stand at the right hand of my father and to our Chairman chairman Willie woods we thank you for your leadership taking Morehouse to higher Heights and for taking up the role and the challenge of leading our board to all of the trustees of this great institution we thank you to the Immediate Past Chair emeritus mr. Robert Davidson past chair and classmate Willie flash Davis attorney faculty administrators staff and to all the Morehouse family we salute those wonderful staff members dr. King referred to you as the ground crew and without the ground crew the airplane could not take flight and the boats and ships could not sail thank you from the bottom of our heart to our personal family doctor Otis Moss sir Monica Monica moles and grandchildren my wife and winner 51 years and 10 months let me take the personal privilege of saying we were married on this campus Danforth chapel and the efficients of that ceremony dr. Martin Luther King jr. and my college professor the late Samuel Woodrow Wilson to all of our family members my sister Josefa and members of our extended family we thank you and we thank God for you and to this amazing and incredible the class of 2017 we celebrate you and we are honored not only to stand here but to witness what God will do in the future the doors are open for you you do not even know have been open but if you have the courage to walk through the doorway watch and witness the power of God work in your life I want to say Otis we thank God for you class of 1992 president of the SGA and a student member of the Board of Trustees and now a member of the Board of Trustees there was a time you came to me for advice and now I go to you especially when I need some extra information on hip hop millenium and all of the other issues of this day and the days to come let us pray let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our Redeemer amen amen if you have a Bible app or your Bible with you we're going to ask that you would turn to Philippians amen the fourth chapter they first Philippians 4 verse 8 the new English Bible and now my friends all that is true all that is noble all that is just and pure all that is lovable and gracious whatever is excellent and admirable fill all your faults with these things we want to place a tag here upon this text for it constitutes the context of which we attempt to teach and to preach at this moment we would like to focus on a simple idea of hashtag Morehouse matters from generation to generation if you would be so kind as to turn to your neighbor just look at your neighbor or wake up your neighbor whatever it may be smile at your neighbor and say neighbor Oh neighbor more house matters more house Matt find another neighbor maybe the same one and look at your neighbor and say neighbor Oh neighbor more house matters as we gather on this day to know that more house matters an institution conceived by God and nurtured by men made her humble debut just west of the Savannah River and the small southern hamlet of Augusta Georgia born into a world still reckoning with the cataclysmic shift of upgrading the one's three-fifth status of kidnapped Africans to being theoretical citizens in the yet to be United States of America according to w eb des bois an institution where god's very hand etched out space in the back room of a small Baptist Church a black church I say there's no other institution under the shadow of Antebellum cruelty had the audacity to claim authority over the minds of men kissed by nature son who yearned to be free it was a black church that not a prosperity church the seeking wealth and materialism from a false gospel rooted in capitalism but a black church of Africans caught in the undertow of white supremacy who dared build an institution on foreign soil committed not to curse the darkness but their light a candle in the dark I know some of you gather in this space may not practice the tenets of Africanized feet you may sit from the cup of the break rituals and pour wisdom or you may sit submit to the pillars of Islam then some of you may cast away belief in transcendent possibilities and and surround the European rhetoric of agnosticism and materialism whatever your spiritual or secular foundation you must know this this house this space where black minds are safe and spirits are inspired has her roots in the healing water of black prophetic spirituality this is where prayer warriors are unashamed about calling on God and watch God make a way out of knowing this house was built nor benefits from the immoral and unethical wealth of cotton production tobacco planting or sugarcane cutting this is not an IV institution built on black blood with doors close to black politics no president at Morehouse brought his slaves to work nor were the grounds kept by indentured service this house was carved by men and women who drew from a higher account the spirit of those who built this house still homes these very ground tomorrow as you prepare for commencement there will be someone who will stand before you and say please hold your applause until the entire class of 2017 receives their degrees but they forget every year Big Momma shows up and when you walk across that hay she has been praying overnight let's see that money we are an HBCU we are not designed as something as a part of the school choice movement or voucher program this sacred space was designed to claim the divine intervention of those who are called the disinherited make no mistake you the class of 2017 you do not graduate from a college or an institution but you come through the birthing canal of a national treasure this house offers more than any other house this house offers more because we draw from a higher source so it's not enough for you to walk across the stage and swagger across the platform grab your degree offer chance of the hosts hire two people and tap up your friends no you have been given the sacred privilege to carry a divine torch and drink from an ancient well that is now manifest in this space we call Moor house this house we love it plays of learning as a brand a mission of an harvest a higher vision than Yale a greater calling than Oxford this may be the one space that saves America from itself this may be the house where America learns to be America your calling is not to graduate and get paid but to make a path for others who follow behind you and a locked doors and have the courage to bring down walls you are called to serve you are your calling is not just to make a living but learn how to make a delight if you want a job you could go to any school will do but you are called to Morehouse a school that should not exist forces of hate coupled with America's melanin insecurity have tried to destroy the very ground where black men congregate to learn the liberal arts and discover the true nature of our history this there is a revolution brewing in these homes you by your choice made the decision to be a revolutionary Morehouse was born because our ancestors knew before the hashtag was created that black lives matter black minds are capable black excellence is in your DNA black vision is transformative and black creativity and ingenuity is the foundation of this nation and the bedrock of civilization your black intellect matters therefore Morehouse matters you are now a part of an eternal brotherhood inducted into this paternity birth into a new family initiated into a global black village consecrated into a community forever part of a safe and one more house you for house matter [Applause] that tell us more why this space matters and our history matters [Applause] thank you [Applause] Thank You forward of liberation liberation and challenge we must never forget how and why Morehouse was born yes it was born in the context of what Lowell was talking about in 1845 when he said we make slaves of our children's children when we compromise with injustice Morehouse was born in the context of hopper who said make my grave wherever you will and a lowly plane are upon a lofty he'll make it among earth almost braised but not in a land where people are slaves Morehouse was born out of a hunger and thirst for the more excellent way when when when the Klan was growling and killing and burning and riding and raging trying to make the Confederacy great again [Music] Morehouse was born after the 13th amendment to the Constitution but before before teeth amendment Morehouse was born before the 15th amendment was passed and our forces in 1867 to keep America from becoming the land of the free and the home of the brave thank God for the happy creature [Applause] born under the demand to build a home of the free home of the brave but not not the land of the feet and the home of the slave to borrow from Du Bois in 1867 when Morehouse is born there were those who did not want to see black college graduates they wanted still people for property and bodies for sale and notice at this very hour there are those in America who are building prisons for profit and in order to get more profit you've got to get more prisoners and in order to get more prisoners and make more profit you've got to expand the market of mass incarceration you must go from here with a sense of mission and commitment we must teach the nation again yet in the words of law that its prosperous to be just [Music] and WB Dubois wrote the autobiography of the biography rather of John Brown he indicated that we have to teach the nation that oppression has an increasing cost whereas freedom and justice will always have a decreasing cost in other words it costs more to be unjust injustice is expensive injustice through ignorance and disease are much more expensive than justice wisdom and health that must be our commitment as we go from this place you know when William justice and white sat down on the third floor of a furniture store a furniture business to talk with Coulter about the founding of a black institution it is an interesting thing to note that they met in the coffin room the casket room in the upper room where Reverend passed a teacher organizer writer publisher leader William Jefferson White was the cabinet maker he made cabinets and coffins and in my if you will in my sanctified imagination I think I think he made cabinets to contain that which was good true beautiful freshest yeah excellent I like to think that he also made coffins to bury the Confederacy but but he soon discovered that he couldn't make a coffin big enough not dig a grave deep enough those things must be overcome by people like the class of 2017 and you know in the second half century of Morehouse when dr. Mayes became president not only was the college in trouble financially I heard with my own ears dr. Mays said that Morehouse was a dying institution the Great Depression had hit Morehouse with a brutal bill and Morehouse students were eating their meals at AU and paying a U and taken a lot of classes at Spelman that wasn't a bad idea but more house was being diminished and when dr. Mayes began to set the college on a sound financial course then came World War two and some may not know this but to the three chairs to pastures and current chair of the Board of Trustees in those days dr. Mayes said that some of the trustees came to him and recommended that the college be closed until the end of World War two now they were standing on what they considered to be practical grounds because the student body was being decimated and those we was look how they were looking for at that time were being drafted into the military and the student body was a decreasing factor in higher education but dr. Mayes said no if we close the doors of the school they will never open again and then then the Lord gave him a vision and he opened up in those days and early admission program where young men could come to Morehouse not having graduated from high school if they could pass the disciplines and tests and exams to do so and the doors remained open we might say the doors of the church were not closed and guess what one of the young men who came in under that an admission program was named Martin Luther King junior he joined the Morehouse family at age 15 fellowship with dr. Dubois fellowship with Robert Johnson laronne Bennett Leroy Johnson fellowship with a revolutionary class yeah graduated in 48 and 49 the late judge Horace Ward was in that number now think about it for a moment if Morehouse had closed dr. Amos during World War two Hitler would have closed Morehouse College but Morehouse and Benjamin Elijah Mays wouldn't allow Hitler to win over Morehouse College we have that kind of heritage yes but let me move on my time is getting close but you shouted up some of my time [Applause] [Music] as we look at the class of 2017 permit me to give a little personal history when I came to Morehouse some of my some of my brothers / were complaining about living conditions we were assigned to graves hole and when I looked at grave hole coming from where I came from a three-room house where the roof was leaking and we had outdoor toilets now let me correct that we didn't have a toilet at all it was good and I looked at graves Hall Otis I thought it was a Taj Mahal but I graduated in four years with two jobs and no debt [Applause] parenthetically that's why we've got to work on student loans but Otis I want to thank you for something you shared with me you may not know how deeply I was moved about what you shared yes just just a few years ago you were traveling in Switzerland and you told me about a visit you made to a chapel high on a hill and in order to get to that shop it was like the Cathedral on a hill you see more houses an unfinished Cathedral of excellence in order to get there you have to climb a lot of steps and you saw a grandfather and children and grandchildren climbing climbing climbing and reaching new landings together and finally as they reached one landing the grandfather looked at the children and grandchildren and said to them this is as far as I can go but you keep climbin I'm reminded of that him who it somewhere back in the mid nineteenth century who said my evening Sun is sinking fast my race is almost run but you must keep climbing difficult and challenging may be your journey and there might be sessions and trucks and McConnell and some others you will encounter on your climb but you keep slide [Applause] I say to you Otis and I say to the next generation I have reached my landing but you keep climbing because Morehouse matters pop Morehouse matters you share the story of Morehouse and that Morehouse is the mattering institution but you didn't tell everybody the whole story said that the grandfather made it to the landing but the rest of the children walked up but they didn't look back but there was the youngest of the grandchildren who walks up the steps but stopped and turned around and look at the grandfather as if to say thank you I would not have made it to this point if it had not been for you carrying me along and so I say to the class of 2017 make sure you acknowledge the people who carried you through this book make sure you look up your mama lift off your father lift off your grandparents but when you're done lifting of all those you can see lift up the one who opened up doors for you that no one can shut and the one who shuts doors that no one can open keep climbing my brothers keep climbing and thank God keep climbing never forsake who you are keep climbing and thank God but when you can make sure you whisper prayer when you climb say Holy Spirit Holy Spirit make off that back honest boom you all go out and party and all be oh oh oh oh that we mean - goodnight class of 2017 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] well what about Solyndra muscles enough for everyone muscle man love you Bob Oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] [Applause] I'm going to ask that we prepare to honor four persons - retiring faculty members and the chairman emeritus of our board and his wife I'm going to ask the chairman of the board of trustees mr. Willie woods to escort chairman Davison through this side of the stage and I'm going to ask the Provost the sport dr. Marcellus Barksdale the far side of stage here the president of the college sports dr. Johnson and I want to invite all the family members of Chairman Davison to join him on the platform you may come now all the family members of dr. Marcella sparks he'll come up on this side and all the family members of professor Toby Johnson come up on this side [Applause] did not we have wonderful sermon today [Applause] you varsity varsity marketability Provost in place Marcellus Chandler Barksdale historian John Hendrick Clarke said history is a clock that tells people their political and cultural time of day who they have been where they have been who they are and where they are and most important who they still must be and where they still must go for four decades dr. Marcellus Chandler Barksdale class of 1965 has worked persistently as a Morehouse professor of history and director of african-american studies to ensure that every student at the college knows how to tell time how to read the clock of history and he informed and be informed by the past involved in the present and inspired to create a better future Marcela's Chandler Barksdale yours has been a professional lifetime of preventing the dying of the light by bearing the cross and lighting candles in the dark while holding crowns above the heads of your students the vision that you have glorified in your mind the ideal that you enthrone in your heart this you have built your life by this you have become for history is not history unless it is true and you are one of the finest champions of the scholarly truth dr. Taub Johnson the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that for people to live the happy life that nature intended they must live with virtue and that politics plays a key role in bringing about a virtuous life he said the good of man must be the end of the science of politics the good of man is a goal to which dr. Koch Johnson class of 1954 has been committed throughout his 59 year career at Morehouse as Evelyn's professor of political science and chairman of the department dr. Johnson set rigorous standards for his students to understand and apply the principles of politics as strategies for positive and transformative cosmopolitan social change to Johnson your ability to impress persuade an arrest in conversation marks you as a man of our time you have been the Archangel with the flaming sword twisting in all directions guarding the gate of the college curriculum your goal was always to prevent the college from being moved off of its social gospel oriented Liberal Arts Foundation which distinguished dear ol Morehouse as great internationally you are an ethical scholar and a moral gentleman a friend of all humanity dr. and mrs. Robert and Alice Faye Davison in his book about how to create the life of your dreams entrepreneurial Mark Allen wrote the greatest solution of all is to live and work in partnership with yourself your family and friends your community your nation your world nature and spirit Robert C Davison jr. class of 1967 and his wife Alice Faye Davison are an example of how to put mark Allen's advice to great use this entrepreneurial couple who found it surface protection Industries Inc a successful international paint manufacturing company use their partnership not only to build a business but also to build a family and a legacy there are three sons Robert the third John Rodrick and Julian are all Morehouse graduates in addition to their many other contributions to the community the Davidson's has been faithful adaptive servant scholar transformative leaders and generous supporters of the college he served on the Morehouse Board of Trustees for 20 years and was twice elected as its chair she served on the Morehouse Parents Association and together they provided the funding to build the college's presidential residence Davidson house which is named in their honor [Applause] Robert and Faye Davison with your exceptional financial generosity buttress by your dedicated practice of Hindu spirituality you've added to the invisible forces of goodness in the world and have stamped infinity on the life and legacy of Morehouse College with your self possession and self-command your sense of the sacred and deep wisdom exquisite courtesy your humility and gentleness of soul with a business and marital partnership baptized in God awareness and with your bounding humanity you both proclaim the destiny of every person is to know oneself and thereby further the universal life to which we all are related mr. chairman mr. president mr. Provost you may now unveil the work of Alvin Dewayne Mitchell and then shall the trumpet sound [Applause] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] the artist is right there standing alvin Dewayne Mitchell [Applause] we also want to induct the Davidson's into the Martin Luther King jr. International Board of sponsors and professor Johnson and Barksdale into the Martin Luther King jr. Collegium of scholars in token of which you represented these citations with the charge inside you have my sincerest congratulations [Applause] [Applause] the davison portrait will be placed in Davison house and dr. Barksdale and dr. Johnson's portraits will hang in king Chapel but I should inform you that we now have 28 faculty portraits the majority of which are in this building after a board decision and a proposal we hope that there will be a special location for all of the faculty portraits okay I think we are now ready to invite you to stand for the singing of zero Morehouse [Applause] [Music] you [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] please be seated we have just a few preparatory announcements regarding tomorrow everybody is concerned about the weather so I have been given the official statement to share with you from the college inclement weather plan it has come to our attention that the National Weather Service is forecasting inclement weather for Sunday 133rd commencement ceremony on May 21st 2017 weather experts report that there will be an 80% chance of thunderstorms in metro Atlanta that could begin in the morning and last throughout the day the safety of our community of students scholars employees and supporters is paramount in the event of thunderstorms we have developed an inclement weather plan that would move the commencement ceremony to the Martin Luther King jr. International Chapel keeping our community safe and our graduation festivities operating seamlessly we will closely monitor the developing weather conditions and will keep you informed of any changes to the location of graduation the final decision will be made later this evening the commencement ceremony will begin at 8:00 a.m. Sunday rain or shine each graduate has received at least 10 tickets each graduate has received at least 10 tickets each graduate has received at least 10 tickets for family and friends to attend graduation in case of thunderstorms seating modifications would be necessary to sit attendees comfortably inside the chapel the number of ticket holders permitted inside the chapel would then be reduced to 6 per graduate the four remaining ticket holders would be directed to an auditorium housing overflow seating we appreciate your flexibility in this matter thank you for your patience and your unyielding support for Morehouse College please continue to check the Morehouse College website for updates thank you for maintaining safety first within our community I now bring to the Cornell Everett Ali pulpit alumnus Reverend dr. Keith Norma senior pastor of First Baptist Church broad Memphis Tennessee to deliver the benediction after which we would like the parents to remain and guess to remain in your seats to the platform party and then the graduates recess and the faculty dr. Norman Dean Carter president Taggart thank you for the opportunity class of 2017 the degrees have been signed the house has been set in order the meal has been served there's nothing left to do but to tell the Lord thank you whatever head bowed would you pray with me God we have some overdue praise on today we have some promises that we have made we have some prayers that you have answered when we got to this point we said in our hearts four years ago if you would that we would now we are here so let us clear up our praise debt right now god we just want to tell you thank you no matter dear God when language we speak it in we want to tell you thank you some of us will say it in Spanish by saying gracias but nevertheless we say thank you some will say it in German by saying danke share but no matter the less whatever we say we say thank you some will simply lift our hand God for you have brought us over hills and valleys and nights we have cried moments we didn't know if we were going to make it deaths of loved ones loss of jobs setbacks and anything but God nevertheless we say thank you so now unto Him who is able to guard us from stumbling in the place where you have presented us and to present us without blemish with exceeding joy to the only wise God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord the glory Dominion majesty and power is now forth and forevermore all of God's people said amen [Applause] we recommend that you be in your seats tomorrow morning parents at 7:30 to assure that you will get a seat 7:30 thank you [Music] you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Applause] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Morehouse College

Views: 6,445

Keywords: morehouse college, baccalaureate, otis moss jr., otis moss III, 2017

Id: i6a3b5Kop2M

Length: 122min 11sec (7331 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 02 2017