Ellington

This is an article, I wrote for The Maroon Tiger.

We are the trailblazers for the next generation. We are the ones who will impact our communities and help shape and mold their atmosphere. The only just way to do this, is to humble ourselves and get out into the community and SERVE. Having my brothers' back does not only apply to Morehouse, this is a concept that should be embedded into the minds of all. Since we are the Men of Morehouse, we should reevaluate ourselves, and ask these questions. Do I have my brothers' back, if the brothers in the community around me are more likely to have a future in a jailhouse, than the 'House? And when I graduate from this fine institution, will my footprints be left in the community or only on Brown St.? Will I be able to fit the crown that Mother Morehouse holds above our heads?

If Mother Morehouse could speak, what would she say about her sons? I am proud of all my brothers and their accomplishments. I would just hope we might find a way to rub that Morehouse Mystique onto the West End Community. As I walk the campus of Morehouse College and its neighboring campuses, (Clark Atlanta University, and Spelman College), I notice an air of intellectuality, and progressive young students. Then I walk through the West End community, and I ask myself where is the presence of Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman? Sometimes that presence is faint. We boast about an array of service that is done by the students of the institutions, but is that enough? I am not speaking to the students, who have triple digit hours of service, but I am charging those who have been in the AUC for quite sometime, and their idea of service is directing people to the closest party or shopping mall.

If you were to google Morehouse College attached would be words such as prestigious, distinguished, and Men with a Social Conscience. You would also be able to view names of famous alumni that we all know well. Morehouse can brag about many things. But sometimes we can get so wrapped up in doing well, and being impressive that we forget the reasons why we wanted to advance ourselves. Shouldn't the advancement of one be for the benefit of all? An educated Black man is like a sneezer; he can be contagious. The only thing is you have to get close enough, and spend enough time next to your brother, before long he will have a book in his hand too. It is imperative that we go into the community around us, and make sure that our younger brothers and sisters have the qualities instilled in them that people have instilled in us. You can get that Brooks Brothers suit, and have that 6 or 7 figure job after you graduate but it is meaningless unless you give back.

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." –Albert Einstein