FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT FEATURES
LERONE BENNETT AND OPRAH WINFREY

ATLANTA, April 29, 1999 - Author and Ebony Magazine Executive Editor Lerone Bennett Jr. '49 and Oprah Winfrey will participate in the Morehouse College 115th Commencement, 8 a.m. Sunday, May 16, 1999, on the College's Campus Green.

Bennett, who celebrates his 50th reunion, will deliver the Commencement Address to almost 500 graduates. Winfrey, who last spoke during a Morehouse Commencement in 1989, will deliver the Challenge to Graduates.

"Morehouse College is honored to have such distinguished guests participate in our Commencement," said College President Walter E. Massey.

"Lerone has exemplified the Morehouse tradition and is a nationally respected journalist and historian who remains a role model for African-Americans across the country," Massey said.

"Oprah Winfrey, who is known around the world for her ever-increasing generosity and entertainment accomplishments, has shown enormous support for Morehouse College," said Massey.

"I look forward to hearing what Lerone and Oprah share with graduates, who are beginning the next phase of their lives."

Founded in 1867, Morehouse is the nation's only historically black, private liberal arts college for men. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and graduates 500 year, conferring bachelor's degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world.

Prominent alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize laureate and civil rights leader; Samuel L. Jackson, Academy Award nominee and motion picture actor; Shelton "Spike" Lee, filmmaker and president of 40 Acres & A Mule; and Dr. David Satcher, U.S. Surgeon General.