Morris Brown College
If you would like to make a donation to help Morris Brown College, please mail your contribution to:
Morris Brown College
Fundraising Campaign
2900 Chamblee Tucker Road
Building Three
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Please make checks payable to:
Morris Brown College
This information will be updated as appropriate.
A 125-Year-Legacy of Learning
Excellence!
When Mrs. Maggie Mitchell
Walker, now 93, wanted to go to college during the day in the early 1940s,
Morris Brown was the only college in metro Atlanta that would allow a
married woman of color to enter. She went on to become the first black
teacher of the year in Fulton County.
That unique quality of Morris Brown--always being there to help those who might otherwise never go to college--is the reason it is imperative that the only college in Georgia founded by African-Americans for African-Americans survive. Our beloved school was born 122 years ago during the harsh days of segregation in the basement of Big Bethel A.M.E. Church. As Mrs. Walker says, "We've had outstanding graduates. They've come along . . . All along the line." Among them have been the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader Hosea Williams, and countless doctors, lawyers, teachers, business leaders and musicians. Gladys Knight of The Pips was even Little Miss Morris Brown as a child. We are interwoven into the fabric of Atlanta.
This year Morris Brown has
been in the national news on two fronts; our marching band was featured in
the movie "Drumline" and we lost our accreditation in April. The
reasons for the withdrawal of our accreditation are being addressed.
Stringent new accounting procedures are in place, new administrators with
strong business, legal and academic backgrounds have been added, and the
board of trustees has been bolstered by the addition of recognized business
experts.
We're on our way back up and we believe we'll be stronger than ever . . . if
we can raise the funds to stay the course. About 90 percent of our
students depended on some form of federal financial aid, all of which was
withdrawn with the accreditation.
One of the areas where we've been criticized is our liberal admissions policy. We do not require a certain score on a standardized test, knowing that many students, even some who do well in school, do not score well on such tests. Others have not had the opportunity of an outstanding school background. With the end of segregation, critics have called our mission as an historically black college "outdated." This is absurd. Only two percent of the University of Georgia in Athens student population are black males. We continue as we began, to serve those disenfranchised from the mainstream. As Mrs. Walker feels, "Morris Brown is needed more so now than ever. We still have a lot of children unable to function well in those high-powered universities. They need nurturing. The can compete in any school if you just give them a chance."
Please help us give them that chance. We need your help to continue to ensure Morris Brown's existence. Gifts should be mailed to Morris Brown College Fundraising Campaign, c/o Citizens Trust Bank, P.O. Box 4719, Atlanta, Georgia 30302. Make checks payable to Morris Brown College Fundraising Campaign. All donations are welcomed. For those who can afford it, we are inviting donations of $100 from 100,000 people. We believe this can be accomplished!
We want to continue to have graduates, "All along the line . . ."
Article by Linda K. Lanier, Lanier Communications, Inc.
