Special Edition: MT90

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THE MAROON TIGER CELEBRATING 90 YEARS THE ORGAN OF STUDENT EXPRESSION SINCE 1925

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THE MAROON TIGER CELEBRATING 90 YEARS THE ORGAN OF STUDENT EXPRESSION SINCE 1925

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An avenue for students to voice their concerns and opinions, our newspaper has always been a staple and essential part of the Morehouse community.

From the founding of its original platform, the Athenaeum, in 1898 to its transformation to The Maroon Tiger in 1925, there has been no other student-run publication in the Atlanta University Center Consortium to stand this long.

As done many years before, MT and its staff have continued to uphold its commitment to writing stories and producing content that mirrors what our organization represents: truth and integrity.

John Pittman, class of 1926, became the first Editor-in-Chief of The Maroon Tiger in the Fall of 1925 and, just like that, Morehouse’s organ of student expression sprung up. Honoring the tradition of Pittman’s tremendous leadership, we move forward with the sole obligation to be an independent voice for students. As long as there are true stories to be told, we will continue to be on the battlefield. Writing to write. Writing to right.

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THE MAROON TIGER ADVISOR: Ron Thomas EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Jayson Overby, Jr. MANAGING EDITOR: Jerrel Floyd DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: Annick Laurent CREATIVE DIRECTion: The Maroon Tiger Team CREATIVE CONSULTANT/DESIGN: Jayson Overby, Jr. Business manager/DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: Amber G. Johnson EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, TIGERTV: Jason Perry PHOTOGRAPHY: Chad Rhym, Leron Jullian CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Annick Laurent, Jerrel Floyd, Jayson Overby, Jr., Tiffany Pennamon, The Goat, R.W. Riley, Robert E. Johnson, Jason C. Perry, Mikhia Hawkins, Amber G. Johnson, Javon Wilson, Irayah Cooper

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mt THE MAROON TIGER CELEBRATING 90 YEARS THE ORGAN OF STUDENT EXPRESSION SINCE 1925

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TO Former Members of The Maroon Tiger, and Many Sleepless Nights Fighting to Tell Daring Narratives.

“Today, as we look back to embrace tomorrow and all of its promises and struggles, we renew our commitment to never waver from the charge that Robert E. Johnson ’48 issued to all future student journalists: ‘To keep our politics strictly student interests.

Spare no effort in portraying student life as it really exists, free from the pollution of campus cliques, society favoritism and faculty fear. Above all, keep our paper student– owned, -managed, -edited, and -published.”

– R. Francis Blakeney, September 1998.

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pg 8 ........................................... Maroon Tiger Reaches Half-Century Mark (1978) pg 11 ............................................................................................................................Editor’s Letter pg 13 ............................................................................................................................................ 10x10 pg 16 .................................................................................................................. Layout & Design pg 29 ............................................................... Authentic Maroon Tiger Fashions (1947) pg 30 ......................................................................................................................................... Awards pg 32 ............................................................................................. A Call For Black Journalists pg 35 ................................................................................................... Managing Editor’s Letter pg 36 ............................................................. “Maroon Tigers” vs Criticisms (Dec. 1942) pg 37 ................................................................... The Attitude of A New Student (1930) pg 39 .............................................................................................. Executive Producer’s Letter pg 42 .................................... Keeping The Faith and Moving On (September 1998) pg 43 ................................................................................................. Business Manager’s Letter pg 46 .................................................................................................................................. Thank You

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Maroon Tiger Reaches Half-Century Mark February 1978, Unknown Author

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Having cut its journalistic reach on student affairs and college sports in 1898, The Maroon Tiger is rounding out a half century of recording college life.

According to Dr. Brawley’s History of Morehouse College, the Athenaeum Publishing Company, largely through efforts of Timothy Williams, was organized in 1898 by advanced students of the Atlanta Baptist College (Morehouse) and Spelman Seminary (Spelman) for regular publication of a student journal – The Athenaeum.

The Athenaeum continued publication until 1925, though for two or three years it found it hard to appear regularly.

It was in the year 1925 that forceful, big John Pittman spearheaded a movement to establish an independent student organ, which would only be obligated to voice the opinions of students of Morehouse. Such a movement precipitated heated debates, discussions and arguments. From these give-and-take airing of opinions, a decision was reached favoring a separate publication for students of Morehouse. Pittman proposed that the College mouthpiece be named The Maroon Tiger and he became the first editor with the change of identification tag.

A recognition of the high place with the Maroon Tiger holds in the world of student organs came on the eve of its “Golden Anniversary”, when First Class Honor Rating was awarded the proud, sensitive periodical during the first semester of 1947-48 academic year by the Associated Collegiate Press, University of Minnesota, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Much of the high staff morale can also be contributed to the success of former Maroon Tiger staffers who have made noteworthy marks in the field of journalism. Among the illustrious men who have worked with

The Maroon Tiger are the late W.A. Scott, founder and publisher of the Atlanta Daily Word; V.Tubbs, editor of Baltimore’s Afro-American, who, with Bernard Milton Jones and Moss Kyles Kendrix, founded the Delta Phi Delta Honorary Journalistic Society; S.W. Garlington, city editor of the Amsterdam News (New York City); King Reddick of the New York Age; John Pittman, foreign correspondent; Emory O. Jackson, Birmingham World editor; C. Lamar Weaver and Marlon E. Jackson, reporter and sports editor respectively of the Atlanta Daily World; John H. Young III, Chicago Defender correspondent; Dr. Hugh Glostner, author of two books; Dr. B. R. Brazeal, author and Dean of Morehouse; Dr. Edward A. Jones, editor of the Morehouse Alumnus and head of the Department of Romance Languages at Morehouse; Dr. Ira DeA. Reid, author, lecturer, writer and head of the Department of Sociology at Atlanta University; and Moss Hyles Kendrix “publicist international.”

Among the many accomplishments of the Maroon Tiger are those of the Delta Phi Delta National Honorary Journalistic Society and The National Negro Week. Delta Phi Delta was founded in 1939. While a senior at Morehouse, Moss originated National Negro Week, now annually sponsored by the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association.

With the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Maroon Tiger, Editor Johnson charged Lerone Bennett, newly elected editor “to keep our politics strictly student interests. Spare no efforts in portraying student life as it really exists, free from the pollution of campus cliques, society favoritism and faculty fear. Above all, keep our paper student owned, managed, edited, and published.”

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Mentioning The Man In assuming the position of Editor-in-Chief, I’ve learned about this extraordinary organization and the role it’s played in shaping the students and campuses of the Atlanta University Center. Serving as the leading organ of student expression since 1925, The Maroon Tiger has changed with times to mirror its students and growing community.

The last eight months haven’t been easy; I’ve mentally stepped down from my position as the Editor-in-Chief more than I can count. Assuming the role, as rewarding as it can be, isn’t something one prepares for, and it’s definitely not something that one can grasp in a short amount of time. All of the calls, text messages, and emails with my former EIC Darren Martin, Jr., provided me with an understanding of knowing that failure was a part of succeeding in this position.

Jayson Overby, Jr. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I’ve been charged by a number of former members of the Tiger, as it was once called, to stay away from fluffing up content and go forth with first-rate reporting and editorial work. It’s an honor and privilege to print fine work that will be talked about years to come, and in hopes one day that students will view our paper as a resource for academic and archival research.

It’s an easy task to protest and criticize work being done by professionals on nationally syndicated networks, but a number of people can’t say they’re fighting for representation in newsrooms. However, a number of students are on the training grounds at their respective institutions preparing to hit the ground running. There have been a great number of former EICs, managing editors, section editors, and staff writers, who have gone on to respectable institutions, magazines, newspapers, and companies to continue being a leading force in promoting healthy discourse and dialogue.

Undeniably, The Maroon Tiger is one of the veins that hold up Morehouse College, allowing students and members of the community to experience our beloved institution.

For the last 90 years, and that’s only counting when we began as the Tiger, this esteemed organization has managed to promote black journalism and contribute to the scope of history by and about people of the African diaspora.

There is no other college publication and institution in the far south, which successfully and actively contributes to black culture by developing men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.

It is with this honor that I say Happy 90th Birthday to The Maroon Tiger. Cheers to being a voice of reason and truth. Can’t wait until the 100th.

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Recycle Archive

As of today, The Maroon Tiger has printed for more than over 100 years.

Promote the preservation of history by reminding students and readers to “Please Recycle or Archive� materials from The Maroon Tiger.

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10x10 Looking at the role of an Editor-in-Chief.

In conversation with two former EICs. In life there are moments when you will have to break the rules, break your bank, and even experience failure; however, those times can also set you up for success. In being the EIC of an award winning publication, both of these former EICs share their experience and time at the paper. Serving primarily as the publication’s editorial leader, it’s not an easy task having final responsibility for all operations and policies.

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David wall rice, '95 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 1994 - 95

Jayson Overby, Jr.: In becoming EIC, were you previously apart of the paper?

David Wall Rice: If I remember correctly, I began writing for the paper during the spring semester of my sophomore year.

The first piece I wrote was on Malcolm X, Spike Lee’s treatment of X in the film, and that piece won a Georgia Associated Press Award. During my junior year, I became arts and entertainment editor with a gentleman by the name of Miles Marshall Lewis, who’s actually the current Editor of Arts & Culture Editor for Ebony Online.

JO: Do you think becoming EIC was a smart move?

DWR: Yeah, I knew how to do it well.

I believed in telling stories that would empower the student body and black people at large. The stories we covered dealt with those issue of empowerment and liberation.

It wasn’t a lot of us. There was a responsibility you had as a writer, and it was an interesting time to tell stories of and about, and by black folks and how the diaspora was of consequence.

JO: Did you meet any backlash from the administration?

DWR: A lot of the politics, with respect to the paper, were dealt the year before and they had actually pulled the paper for a good amount of time and I was the editor when it came back. Considering it was offline for a year, we were writing some hardcore stuff. We had Thomas Giovanni, Nicki Giovanni’s son, who wrote some uncompromising articles that pushed against the administration.

JO: With the writers, did you feel a need to always influence them to want to write and contribute?

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DWR: The thing you have to remember is the paper wasn’t online, there weren’t stories that were tweeted, and there wasn’t mass emails sent out. The paper was really the organ of institutional expression, even

though it it’s the organ of student expression. The folks who were on my staff, which was no bigger than 12, and this includes the people who weren’t scared to come back after the paper was dormant.

JO: Considering that there wasn’t a journalism program, how did you guys navigate writing and editing stories?

DWR: We were less concerned with the mechanics of journalistic writing, and more concerned about the stories that needed to be told. We had advisors, but we were less interested in being journalists and more in being essayist. We were more interested in being communicators of the human condition, issues relating to the diaspora.

As long as we got that right, we were good with that.

“There was a responsibility you had as a writer, and it was an interesting time to tell stories of and about, and by black folks and how the diaspora was of consequence.”

JO: What’s one word or phrase that described the paper back then?

DWR: It was real, and what I mean by that is it truthfully attempted to tell the stories of folks on campus tell the stories that were necessary to be told to the folks on campus so they could go out and change the world.

We felt we had the responsibility to be real, to be honest, and to be advocates for our students and black people.

Kyle Yeldell, '06 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 2004-05 Jayson Overby, Jr.: How did you come into the role as EIC?

KY: Overall, including contributing writers and editors there was about 26 people.

Kyle Yeldell: I was Sports Editor the previous year; an I was expecting to be the Sports Editor a second year. However; towards the end of the summer it was said that he wasn’t going to serve because he didn’t meet the GPA requirements, but no one had ever heard of the GPA requirements. Along with our advisors, there was a council created to find an Editor-in-Chief.

There was an interest meeting held for EIC’s, but the advisors weren’t pleased with the people who came out because no one had ever worked on the paper before.

In talking all of this, due to my activity the Deans appointed me as Editor-in-Chief.

JO: Looking back, how would you have described your time on the paper to someone now?

KY: The first paper we printed was in 12size font, it’s suppose to be 10, and that’s pretty large for a newspaper. I didn’t know, and I had never done layout before. I look back on it, and I realize how large it was.

It was homecoming weekend, and I had to come out with a paper. Of course, it was a lot of sleepless nights.

JO: Do you think becoming EIC was a smart move?

KY: Oh yeah, it’s something I take a lot of pride in. It provided me with a great amount of leadership and managerial experience, an it’s my proudest moment as an undergrad student as Morehouse. Considering the way I got selected, that’s something I’ll never forget. At time, the paper was the most read publication in the AUC and that time period was the golden years.

KY: Our motto holds true, it really was the organ of student expression. One thing I would say that’s different now, but I wish it would go back to is the fact that The Maroon Tiger office was an open door policy. It made you accessible. Handing out the newspapers had to be the best days, the physical paper, of the week. It was an experience, basically passing out the papers fresh the press. It was all about getting it while it was hot, kind of like Crispy Kreme Donuts.

“Take a chance.

When leadership calls you, you step up to lead.”

JO: What did it mean being the EIC on campus, and in the AUC?

JO: What’s one of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from being EIC?

KY: It was the second largest position on campus, behind SGA president, and it just meant that people knew who you were. It might have helped that the year before as Sports Editor I had my own column with an image of me in every issue.

KY: Take a chance. When leadership calls you, you step up to lead. Although I was ill prepared, but because I was so involved with the paper as sports editor I learned as much as possible. Although

JO: How many people were on your staff?

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MOVING FORWARD LOOKING AT DESIGN AND LAYOUT

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ince its initial publishing in 1898, The Maroon Tiger has gracefully developed in its layout and design. Compared to other college publications, the Tiger has always presented refreshing cover illustrations and images. At its most basic foundation, the newspaper has always managed to rebrand itself each term. With every new editor-in-chief, there was a new masthead and design.

Working within the framework of a student newspaper and media group, the Tiger’s design team has created a brand that holds firm in design practice. The Maroon Tiger has maintained a readership on the collegiate, state and national levels, and a reputation the College has lauded and referenced in speeches for years.

In understanding how the editorial, visual, artistic and design success of The Maroon Tiger has developed over the years, the publication will continue to build emerging design professionals and a polished product. Conclusively, The Maroon Tiger contributes the last few years of award winning design and photography to Ahmad Barber, Class of 2013. A former member of the paper, Barber has moved the design of the Tiger into the 21st century and we can’t thank him enough.

MT took over my social life, but that hasn’t been a bad thing. 10 years later, my closest friends were MT staffers.

Past that, MT shaped my love for print and helped me lay a blueprint on which I would build my career.

– Autumn Arnett

The Maroon Tiger is a community, above anything.

– Kayla Evans

The Maroon Tiger truly is an organ for student expression, as its tag line says. It’s a space for students to express the community around them.

– Kylan J. Kester

My first term as EIC in 2013, Jamal and Michael Martin scaled social media in less than a year. Working with our team in 2013 when there were 12 writers, an ad director, and the “dream team” of 5. Humble starts!

–Darren Martin

A lifestyle. The Maroon Tiger is a lifestyle.

– Taylor E. Roberts

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Authentic Maroon Tiger Fashions The Goat,1947

With the coming of spring, it is only fitting that we should acquire styles that are comfortable, casual, and attractive. California, that land of “perpetual sunshine,” has introduced a number of items that will do justice to any student’s wardrobe.

The first of these items is the lapelles cardigan jacket. This attractive garment is made in a three-button, single-breast style and is available with lain, leather or brass buttons. Moreover, this jacket may be purchased singularly or as part of a suit. Hand stitching to help enhance its attractiveness. It may be secured in many colors and patterns.

The spread-collar shirt is back again after a wartime absence and is enjoying increased popularity. Oxford cloth is the favorite material for this fine shirt.

Worsted gabardine slacks are a must, and they will be seen quite often this season.

The popularity of bow ties is still increasing. They will be more popular than ever this spring. New colors will greatly be responsible for this anticipated increase.

Now that suede shoes are again available in large quantities, it is necessary that at least one pair, preferably a plain-toe model, should be included in the up-to-date wardrobe.

Straw hats in a wide variety of colors will be in great demand, and any man who aspires to represent sartorial splendor will be seen with one.

1947 will truly be a year of new trends in men’s attire, and every aspiring “Beau Brummel” will dress up to par.

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There’s an Award For That A prestigious recognition for achieving the highest and excelling, an award is no more than a plaque or certificate. Awards aren’t made of determination, sleepless nights, willpower, or ambition – people are. The individuals who have dedicated their academic career and time at their respective institutions in the AUC are what these awards are made of.

With a considerable amount of plaques, certificates, and awards, The Maroon Tiger has continued to excel in journalism and professional competitions. In being lauded with a great amount of accomplishments and achievements, the Tiger has continued to outshine a number of Historical Black Colleges and University newspapers. After being recognized by HBCU Digest Awards as the best HBCU Newspaper of the Year - for twos years in a row - the Tiger continues to uphold its role as a professional college publication, leading in both content and design.

Among the many accomplishments of the Maroon Tiger are those of the Delta Phi Delta National Honorary Journalistic Society and The National Negro Week. Delta Phi Delta was founded in 1939. While a senior at Morehouse, Moss Hyles Kendrix originated National Negro Week, now annually sponsored by the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association.

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A CALL FOR BLACK JOURNALISTS

By Tiffany Pennamon & Javon Wilson

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“Black journalism has been one of our greatest forms of resistance in troubling times.”

I became a journalist after Charleston. A black student concerned about domestic terrorism on black lives rather than a massacre on a church. I thought up an image of a white supremacist terrorist, not a white troubled teen with an upsetting past.

This is the importance of black journalism.

Black journalism has a long history that dates back to slavery.

Restricting the negro from a pen and paper became one of the worst things that whites ever did to negroes. It gave us the hunger to develop ideas about ourselves, conceptualize them, and then write them down to be eternal narratives and history. The Black press comes alive and the Freedom Journal is drafted.

Black journalism has been one of our greatest forms of resistance in troubling times. The Freedom’s Journal, founded in 1827 by John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish, became a community forum for blacks to express their opinions and promote their causes. The Freedom’s Journal was a weekly four-column publication that Russwurm and Cornish thought would encourage literacy and intellectual development for African Americans.

Out of the Freedom’s Journal you get The Negro’s World, The New York Globe, The New York Freemen, and many other regional black newspapers taking a critical place in America. The Freedom’s Journal became the vanguard of a new generation of the negro defining their own narratives, written by and for them.

This is why we need black journalists and the “black press.” We need black journalists writing about Ferguson so their stories are not lost. Mizzou needs black journalists to sympathize and write with.

Black newspapers became a critical space for the black community. The newspapers pointed out racial inequalities, contradictions of segregation, and highlighted great political and social activists, many of them being journalists. Black newspapers set out pathways for black political journalists who became powerhouses on articulating our conditions.

Ida B. Wells mixed social activism under the guise of “lola” for the Evening Star, offering critical editorials on the paradox of lynching black people and white women’s fragility. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, developed Douglass Monthly, a leading abolitionist magazine in 1870. Marcus Garvey drafted

The Negro World, a weekly newspaper that promoted Garvey’s “Back to Africa” movement, informing blacks of their rich culture and also advocating for educational and industrial opportunities for blacks.

Black newspapers became the glue that held the community together. However, black journalists took an even more important role when the Civil Rights movement took off.

Major newspaper publications began integrating staff members to depict the movement because white journalists were restricted from certain spaces in the movement. Deemed the “First Lady of the Black Press,” Ethel L. Payne became a central figure during this era of black journalism. Serving under seven U.S. presidents as a columnist, lecturer, freelance writer, and foreign news correspondent in Africa, Payne combined advocacy and journalism to ensure that black voices were not silenced at the national and international levels. Key events of the civil rights era stood out because of black journalists, like Payne’s, articulation of their importance to the nation.

Even further, the Black Power movement was pivotal for black journalists because it redefined blackness and black culture, and made being black a popular topic to depict, narrate, and have on the front page. Former journalist Earl Cardwell from The New York Times was crucial in this development.

After the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power movement, more and more major publications and broadcasting networks began integrating news media rooms. Ed Bradley, who was on CBS “60 Minutes,” talked about issues ranging from Emmett Till to AIDS in Africa; he was known for connecting with any subject matter, which made him important.

Now that the Black Lives Matter movement is in effect, millennials have been bestowed with the burden of operating in the confines of blackness mattering all of the time, ironically.

This tasks the millennial black journalist with the purpose of defining the narratives of black people.

There needs to be an insurgence of black journalists commanding key roles in news media staffs to make sure our stories are not misconstrued, whitewashed, and that the correct language is used. While questions about race have to be answered by millennials, black journalists will be the ones to answer and articulate them.

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Carrying The Torch Though it has seen many different names and brands, the essence has always been the same. For 90 years The Maroon Tiger has served as the organ of student expression for the Atlanta University Center.

For three of those years, I have had the opportunity of being a part of this tremendous publication and student media group. As corny as it may sound I was blessed to be one of the many veins pumping life into this publication and indirectly the AUC. I know for the average person reading this it can come across a bit dramatic and overtop but there is truly no better way to describe the experience of being a part of the Maroon Tiger. I can even remember distinctly the first issue of the Maroon Tiger I ever looked at.

Jerrel Floyd MANAGING EDITOR

It was nothing unusual, just the annual new student orientation or NSO issue that was released during my first year at Morehouse College. The first thing I remember noticing was how incredibly Black the magazine was. Sure it is possible to pick up an issue of Ebony or Essence and become immersed or introduced to Black culture solely, but it is incredibly rare to pick up any publication that is solely catered to an entire generation of Black young adults. For me MT was one of the first.

Being able to print and promote award winning content written by young Black journalists alongside photos taken by young Black photographers is an incredible feat. MT has not only presently managed to do this, but has done so for the past 90 years.

On top of all of this, MT has managed to evolve and restructure to reflect the ever-changing collection of students that have passed through the AUC throughout the many years, something many publications in the past and today struggle with.

From reading, though it is easy to write all of this off as a strong bias, I can assure anyone that it is more than that. The Maroon Tiger Student Media Group is truly a unique and powerful entity that has unsurprisingly experienced 90 years of award winning success and will certainly experience 90 more years of innovation and success.

Becoming one of the multitudes of veins and tissues that have and will in the future feed life into this massive and necessary organ of student expression was the best decision I ever could have made and I will forever be grateful to this publication and everything that it stands for.

Happy 90th MT and may you live to see 90 more.

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All in Moderation God reveals your future to you in moderation, one clue at a time so he won’t spoil the surprise. I hope he knows I’m pretty observant.

My first college visit came at the point in my life where I had finally got on the right path; it was the summer heading into my sophomore year of high school and I was headed to South Africa. The first stop before the Mother Land was another place where beautiful black people reside, the AUC. I was housed in White Hall on Morehouse’s campus for a week, and I learned about the culture of South Africa but also Morehouse. My two program mentors, Joshua Moore and Seth Wolf, both attended Morehouse and were showing me around. I was not fully convinced but interested to say the least. I had only known about Howard (my parents Alma mater) so it was safe to say I did not know where I would be in 3 years.

Jason C. Perry EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Clue one hit me at the Morehouse College Bookstore. I had found out that South Africa actually experienced winter and decided to go pick up some gear for the trip. Browsing the store with my mentor Seth I came across a grey sweatshirt, it read, “Future Morehouse Man.” I thought it was dope, and in the process of scooping it up Seth warned me, “If you buy this sweater you will be back here in August 2014.” Laughing at the possibility of the idea I brushed it off and copped the sweater.

Clue two, fast forward home to the District of Columbia, the week of April 23, 2014. I had received 2 rejection letters in 4 days and had been down for about 2 weeks. It really did suck having Facebook during the spring of my senior year. All of my friends were posting about being accepted to Ivy’s and I was at home, disappointedly just watching my timeline. Today, though my future revealed itself, I came home from school and saw a letter sitting on the dining room table from Morehouse College. Most people in this moment would be overly excited, I however glanced at the envelope and went on to make a bowl of Frosted Flakes. In light of my recent rejections I thought a bowl of cereal would ease the pain of this one. After I finally worked up the nerve to open the envelope, I then had the reaction most would expect. I called my parents and hit a dance no one will ever see. I finally knew where I was going.

The last clue came the day after my brother heard about my acceptance. On April 24th, 2014 he tagged me in a post on Facebook; he hash tagged #Inspire #Aspire with a link to the MT100 Power issue. This was another glimpse at what Morehouse was, but I was more impressed with magazine. I could not help but wonder who and how “students” produced such a thing. The Black GQ, the Time Magazine of HBCU’s; I admired everything about the magazine and wanted to help continue it. I had found out what I wanted to do.

Now I sit here as a sophomore along side the most creative and driven individuals in the AUC. I am blessed to sit and work with minds like Jayson, Amber, Annick, Jerrel and the entire contributing staff of MT. I look back at April 24th and smile at how blessed I am to be in the very magazine I was reading. Hopefully, our work can find its way to a senior in high school who has no idea what Morehouse will be like but knows from our work that it will be the best experience of his life. Though its tough, Morehouse has been the best experience in my life, the Maroon Tiger is a big reason why.

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With love,

The Maroon Tiger, to me, is a tool that connects people currently involved on our campuses to those removed via graduation.”

– Kailah Covington

The Maroon Tiger is Morehouse, the vein of the AUC. – Melet Cook

An opportunity to be connected with a massive network of media professionals and overall awesome people on campus.

– Syndney Brown

The Maroon Tiger represents the talent of students and the versatility of a publication that has existed longer than many of its competitors.

– Tyra Seals

MT is a powerful platform on campus and beyond – Taylor Lewis

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As The Maroon Tiger celebrates 90 years of bringing meaningful news to the Atlanta University Center, it is important to recognize the changes it underwent. Things have been added and taken away to make sure the newspaper continues to be great. The biggest addition has been the inclusion of women within the AUC into the MT staff.

With 45 people on the MT staff, 20 are women. In every aspect of the student media group - the newspaper, Tiger TV and business team - a woman’s perspective is included.

The Women’s Media Group reported in 2014 on the gender gap in journalism, and, at the time, 63.4 percent of people in the profession were men while only 36.1 percent were women. The New York Times has been credited with having the largest gender gap in the in male-female print bylines. Online, The Huffington Post is the closest to having an equal staff of both genders.

Women are also more likely to be equally represented if reporting on issues involving lifestyle, culture, entertainment, and education. With women being underrepresented as a whole, Black women are represented even less. Black people only comprise 12 to 13 percent of newsrooms in America, as reported by WMG, and Black women only make up 47 percent of all Black newsroom employees.

With Morehouse being a male dominated atmosphere, it is important to keep the women close by. At MT, there aren’t barriers on what can be said or what anybody can write about.

With women from Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College willingly joining the staff of MT, questions as why they choose to leave behind the student media presence at their own institutions have surfaced. With The Panther at CAU, and The Odyssey and The Blueprint at Spelman, many feel these outlets do not provide enough room for expression or growth.

“I actually wrote for The Blueprint at first, as my big sister – who has not graduated – was the EIC,” Tyra Seals, the Features editor, said. “MT was just more visible and seemed to have it more together in terms of projects, readership and involvement.”

Many Spelmanites have chosen to leave The Blueprint because they felt that it censors them. With the paper now being run by an administrator, the content has been very censored and does not leave room for expression.

“I chose it [MT] because I’m a winner and I love to be part of the best,” D’Shonda Brown, the A&E editor and Spelman student, said. “I know that MT was just that.

Award winning. Plus I knew that I would be able to say what I want about anything.”

Mark Shrayber of Jezebel.com reported, “Women make up over two-thirds of journalism majors, but are still credited with less than 40 percent of bylines and anchor jobs.” Women have to fight harder for the job that they are just as qualified for, and even harder for the assignment that will truly showcase their potential. Black women come into journalism at a higher disadvantage.

“Well as a Black woman, no one is going to let you off easy in any capacity,” Amina Shumake, a PR Coordinator for MT, said. “ So regardless of the fact that this is my first year on the team, I think that The Maroon Tiger did not treat me like I did not have the capabilities of a professional journalist.”

The presence of women in media and journalism is essential for gender-diversity in stories. Women provide a voice for issues that are relevant to them, and it would hard for a man to properly report on something he does not deal with.

“I believe that women provide not only a more jubilant and relaxed environment,” Seals said, “ but are able to critically think and solve issues that may arise regarding the publication. It’s only fair and logical that women be involved in the creation and upkeep of media sources that reach far beyond them.”

MT has been the place for women to do just that. The women staff has a place to grow not only as journalists and professionals, but also as powerful dominant women. It helps instills a different type of confidence when working in a male-dominated environment, and being well respected while doing it.

“It allowed me to surround myself with Black excellence,” Brown said, “and push myself as a rising Black media maven. It allowed me to learn about myself as a professional.”

It is no secret that MT is the dominant voice of the campus es over the other publications, and that may be what draws people to join the staff. It is the leading voice for students, and nationally acclaimed amongst HBCU newspapers.

“Having women on the staff brings a holistic approach to the table,” Amber Johnson, the Business Manager, said.

“We always have to keep in mind that it’s not just Men of Morehouse who keep tabs on MT. Morehouse is a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman or girl.”

The Women of MT

By Irayah Cooper

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Keeping the Faith and Moving On. Mikhia Hawkins, for the Editorial Board.

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It is fitting that in the Centennial year of Morehouse’s “Organ of Student Expression” there have been some major facelifts at The Maroon Tiger. Tradition and change blended, not just juxtaposed, in a celebratory year for the entire Morehouse community as well as its extended family, the alumni.

The legacy of this newspaper is one which includes comprehensive and investigative reporting. And that tradition will continue. The primary objective of the paper is to report the truth, not to manipulate it. The only way this can be accomplished is through objectivity in our reporting. Bias and halftruths will not be evident in this publication, [neither] will defamation and defilement. Subjectivity and expressivity is reserved for editorials, but malicious expression has no place in The Maroon Tiger. This publication is not a medium for the [conveyance] of grudgingly personal attacks on character. Problems and flaws existing within the Morehouse community will be addressed, but only in appropriately written reports and editorials.

Our school community is an [ideologically] diverse one, and The Maroon Tiger should reflect this diversity. The inclusion of differing, sometimes polar, perspectives will realize this reflection as such.

We hope to make this year a productive one for the paper. Fourteen issues will be published throughout the year, seven per semester. Thus, an issue will

be disseminated approximately once every other week, the highest frequency of publication in The Maroon Tiger’s history. We will put forth all the necessary effort to maintain this regularity, to bring a greater amount of information and perspectives to the student body than in recent years.

Another objective of the staff is to make ourselves more accessible to students. In the past, like other student organizations, The Maroon Tiger staff resembled more of a secret society with esoteric codes and practices than a student newspaper staff. This particular staff is not interested in isolating itself. We encourage members of the Morehouse community, especially students, to offer feedback relevant to the publication.

Increasing this accessibility will be accomplished in several ways. We intend to revive the publication’s website, and introduce a regular section entitled “Roar,” in which students can express their concerns regarding our school. Another recurring feature of The Maroon Tiger will be “Street Beat,” which will include quotes from students addressing particular issues. Finally, with the inclusion of letters to the editor and the frequent student polls, the student newspaper will reach out to the broader student body.

With the tradition of The Maroon Tiger which began in the past, and with the present changes to it, the future undoubtedly holds a constantly accelerating improvement of our publication

A Woman of MT I didn’t choose MT, MT chose me.

I came to Spelman not very sure of where I would fit, but like a sponge ready to soak in all the experiences. On Saturday, August 9, 2014 I pulled up to Spelman’s gates with a $3,000.00 balance, parents who couldn’t pay it and 52 organizations who had yet to respond and notify me if I was a receiving one of their scholarships so that I just might have the opportunity to attend the illustrious Spelman College. My biggest fear was that my scholarships wouldn’t renew, and the last thing on my mind was being a part of Senior Management of an organization.

Amber G. Johnson BUSINESS MANAGER

When I look back on my first year of college I honestly can say that I would not have made it to sophomore year without the staff of The Maroon Tiger Student Media Group.

On my way to NSO my mother asked God to make a way for me to not have to worry.

My expected family contribution was $58 according to FAFSA but we didn’t even have that. I was determined to not only go to school without coming out of pocket, but to graduate knowing that I earned my degree. On that day I promised that I would be involved as much as possible.

Despite all that was stacked against me, I asked God to help me find a group of people that would put my mind at ease; and hone my skills as a writer, creative, business woman and free thinking woman. I found exactly that as a member of the MTSMG. As an incoming first year, I assisted Timothy Tukes with a project for NSO and became heavily invested in it. Although I never really considered becoming an actual member of MT, I really liked what I was doing as the Public Relations Intern. Never had I thought about a career in PR or Journalism but while working with Timothy I realized that people like me, and when people like you, they listen to you. When he stepped down to pursue his role with The Huffington Post I was shocked. I said to myself, “Who’s going to be the PR Director now?” Not even considering myself for the job.

Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien said at Harvard’s 2013 Commencement Ceremonies, and again at Spelman’s in 2014, “Don’t listen to idiots. Figure out your dream and be brave enough to go out and live it. Otherwise, someone will hire you to help them with their dream.”

This speaks to me because for awhile I was seen as “just a freshman.” When I received notice that I was taking Tukes’ place I hesitated. So many doubts swarmed my thoughts, but something deep inside of me responded to that email. Now, here I am with numerous opportunities at my feet because MT saw something in me.

I am a firm believer that if your dreams don’t scare you then they aren’t big enough. MT has made what has seemed so impossible, very possible for me at just 18-years-old and I am forever indebted to this organization in the years to come.

Best, Amber G. Johnson

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THANK YOU

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Each academic year, our organization serves the students of the Atlanta University Center. In writing for and about the student body, our mission and goal is to bring awareness to an array of global and local issues that affect the community of the AUC. As we celebrate our 90th year, we wish to continue doing what we’ve always done: tell true and real stories.

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