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The 2004 Otis Moss Jr. Oratorical Contest winners: (l-r) Jarrett Crochet ’07 (honorable mention), Xavier Collins ’07 (honorable mention); Lenardo Major ’04 (4th place); Reuben Burney III ’06 (3rd place) and Justin Dandridge ’05 (2nd place.) Also pictured are Anne W. Watts, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, President Walter E. Massey ’58, Otis Moss Jr. ’65, chairman of the Morehouse Board of Trustees, and Dr. Walter Fluker, director of the Leadership Center.
Day Celebration “The concentration of power reduces the importance of the average person. You can be left feeling like a man trying to build a highway with a shovel,” he said, alluding to a story he had told earlier about a highway being built with an impressive array of heavy machinery, and a lone man with a shovel. Butts—now the educator in him taking center stage—also lamented the condition of public education in America. As the population gets browner, the quality goes down, he asserted. But what is really upsetting is that there is still little information in schools that affirms minority groups’ achievements and contributions. “Can you imagine that in the 21st century, there’s nothing about us in the curriculums of public schools that help us feel appreciated and respected,” said Butts. “That’s a sin and a shame. It’s unconscionable, and it must be changed.” “Uninspired and uneducated” students are falling by the wayside, he added. “They’ve been disrespected so long that they start to disrespect themselves. Then they try to convince you that your desire for an education is weak, ‘white’ and wimpy. “One thing I want you to do is help
every little black child feel appreciated,” Butts continued. “Encourage our children. Make them feel like they’re somebody. Tell them, ‘You look good.’ ‘You are so pretty.’ ‘Boy, you’re going to be smart.’ Because if you help someone feel appreciated and respected, he can’t be stopped.” ■
Gloster Memorial Hugh M. Gloster ’31, president emeritus, is given a final resting place on the east lawn of Gloster Hall, the main administration building.
The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. ’56 extends a hand to Founder’s Day Convocation speaker The Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III ’71 as President Walter E. Massey ’58 and Helen Smith Price, assistant vice president and director of Corporate Contributions for the Coca-Cola Co., offer congratulations. S P R I N G / S U M M E R
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