MOREHOUSE WELCOME LETTER
Dear Friends: Morehouse College welcomes our alumni and supporters to the 85th Tuskegee Morehouse Classic. We could not be more pleased to be in Birmingham, home to incredible history, influential culture, and im- pactful Morehouse alumni, including Mayor Randall Woodfin, class of 2003— the youngest Birmingham mayor in more than a century. The transformative contributions of our alumni in this city and state, espe- cially during a time of social challenge, are why we continue to work as hard today to prepare men for lives of leadership and service as we did when we played the first game of this classic 115 years ago. When Morehouse alumnus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Birmingham to lead protests against seg- regation, he was beaten and jailed at the behest of a racist mayor. While he would undoubtedly be pleased that a fellow Morehouse Man would one day be elected to lead the same city in which he was placed in sol- itary confinement, King’s calls for an urgent response to injustice ring just as true today as they did when he wrote his famous, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” In today’s climate of division, distrust, and distrac- tion from the truth, let our presence in Birmingham this weekend remind us that we each have a responsi- bility to be change agents of consequence. There is a heightened level of excitement around Morehouse athletics as we welcome back two former scholar athletes and classmates (1992) to top positions, football coach, Gerard Wilcher, and athletic direc- tor, Harold Ellis. Expectations are high and we look forward to the challenges ahead with building a top notch program that will compete for championships not only on the gridiron, but any court or field, where Morehouse men choose to participate. Our resolve to maintain high standards of global impact is strong; and with each contest, we will continue to grow. Our Maroon Tigers will continue to bear the torch of leadership and service and those who take the field this weekend will show how committed we are to the task. Birmingham, Tuskegee University, I hope you are ready for the Morehouse Maroon Tigers because we are ready for you. We look forward to a weekend of fun, football, and fellowship. Let’s go! Sincerely, David A. Thomas, Ph.D. President
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