2019 Annual Student Essay Contest
Film Screening and Discussion of Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr.: Reflections on His Legacy
ABOUT THE FILM
Elected as the first African-American mayor in the “City Too Busy to Hate,” Maynard Jackson believed in social, political, and economic inclusiveness; he greatly increased minority business participation, transforming Atlanta into one of the most progressive cities in the south and the nation. This film documents the groundbreaking leadership of Maynard Jackson who was elected to three terms and whose legacy stretched far beyond Atlanta in the course of his lifetime. Based upon interviews conducted by Shirley Franklin, Atlanta’s first female mayor, it traces Jackson’s contributions to social change through anecdotes and narratives from those who worked closely with him.
2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection Student Essay Contest Winners
Commemorative Symposium Honoring the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection Student Essay Contest Winners with Essay Contest Judges, Dr. Francine Allen, Associate Professor of English and Dr. Carter Savage
PODCAST
Anne Wise, director of the Phi Beta Kappa Society’s National Arts and Sciences Initiative, mentions the work of the Morehouse King Collection as she shares her perspective on the importance of the humanities in American life and culture.
Honoring the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Vigil for Peace and Justice
April 4, 2017
The Phi Beta Kappa Society Celebrates City of Atlanta as an Arts & Sciences City of Distinction
Local Organizations Lauded for Cultural Vibrancy and Accessibility
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14, 2017 – The Phi Beta Kappa Society—which inducts outstanding undergraduate students—will celebrate the City of Atlanta as an Arts & Sciences City of Distinction. The award is designed to showcase metropolitan areas with exceptional artistic vitality, cultural vibrancy and scientific engagement.
Read the full press release: The Phi Beta Kappa Society
Workshop: Teaching the Movement for Civil and Human Rights
Workshop: Melding Formal and Informal Education for Social Change
Article from "The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education"
Annual Student Essay Contest
Deadline for Submission: March 3, 2015
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series
An Evening with Benjamin Todd Jealous
King Legacy Scholars Visit National Center for Civil and Human Rights
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Scholars Program
2014 Student Essay Contest
50th Anniversary March on Washington - Teach-In and Viewing of Documents
Morehouse Opens King Papers - GPB News
By Claire Simms
ATLANTA — Morehouse graduate Charles Black was one of just eight students to take a social philosophy course from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the college in 1961. (Photo by Claire Simms)
Morehouse College will host a public program on its Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection Wednesday as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Read the full story and listen to the podcast: Georgia Public Broadcasting
2013 Student Essay Contest
King Legacy Scholars and Bayard Rustin Scholars
Reading, Writing and Remembering King - 2012 Student Essay Contest Winners
First Place | Abram Daniel Vera |
Second Place | Jon Alex Watford |
Third Place | Reginald Hutchins |
Honorable Mention | Octavious Talbot |
My View: Remembering Dr. King and the movement for civil and human rights
by Vicki Crawford, Special to CNN
Editor’s Note: Vicki Crawford holds a Ph.D. from Emory University in American Studies, concentrating in 20th century African-American studies. Crawford is the director of the Office of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, where she is developing campus-based programming in support of the collection.
As we approach the 26th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. observance and reflect upon the recent opening and dedication of a national memorial in King’s honor, we should consider how we might engage a living legacy of the human rights leader that brings us closer to the democratic vision he so passionately embraced. A first step is to commit ourselves to teaching and learning about the civil rights movement, one of the most transformative democratic freedom struggles of modern times. Often, in schools and colleges around the nation, the movement is reduced to a few days of study and over-emphasis on a master narrative that is simplistic in its failure to interrogate the many complexities and nuanced interactions among its leaders, participants and organizations. A recent study revealed that American students have very limited knowledge of this significant period in the nation’s history which continues to impact events around the globe.
Students may recognize King’s “I have a Dream Speech” and know about Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, but few would recognize King’s important sermons and speeches delivered during the later years of his life. Would they comprehend King’s courageous stand against the Vietnam War? What about his incisive critique of economic disparities which led him to rally to the cause of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee? As educators, we have a responsibility to connect young people to our past; we must give them knowledge, understanding and appreciation for the triumphs and failures of this period in American history. We should teach the movement with emphasis on both leaders and followers, and include the often neglected, but indispensible contributions of women. Also, we should point out how children and young people were pivotal to societal change, especially college students and others who were active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
We honor Dr. King best when we commit to education for social change. As educators, we should initiate a national conversation on teaching and learning civil rights history that would enable us to address the commonalities and differences between the movement of the ‘50s and ‘60s and today’s global struggles for democracy. To be sure, this conversation would help us in our quest to engage students in deep thinking about what King called the triple evils of poverty, racism and militarism.
At Morehouse College, Dr. King’s alma mater, we advance the teachings and nonviolent philosophy of Dr. King through a number of curricular and co-curricular initiatives. As custodian to more than 13,000 original documents from King’s personal library, we provide a wealth of opportunities for students to engage civil rights history, in general, and learn about Dr. King, more specifically. Our partnership with middle and secondary schools continues to grow, while our summer institute provides an opportunity to reach the next generation of future leaders. Education for the 21st century must equip students to embrace the “challenge of change.” Teaching and learning about the most transformative movement in the nation’s modern era is a powerful tool to be resourced.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Vicki Crawford.
This article was originally posted here: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/13/my-view-remembering-dr-king-and-the-movement-for-civil-and-human-rights/
Download more information (pdf).
Please submit a one-page proposal to the review panel that includes the following: name and project title, description of the project, clear statement of purpose , including goals, and statement detailing how the project will encourage and expand use of the Collection and benefit the college. The deadline for submission of the proposal is June 15, 2011 for a start date of July 1, 2011. Notification of acceptance will be made in late June.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Vicki Crawford, Director
Office of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection
(404) 215-6220
vcrawford@morehouse.edu
We are pleased to announce the 2011 Reading, Writing, and Remembering King Essay Contest Winners!
Atlanta Public Schools
Morehouse College
Soundtrack for a Revolution