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| Smiling Morris Brown student leaders ten years ago before college lost accreditation. |
Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church which was founded when blacks were ostracized and forbidden to participate fully in church services in 1816, this black operated educational facility has been in financial trouble for years and is on the downward slope to extinction. It seems that Morris Brown is fighting a losing battle. A college cannot operate with 50 students, no accreditation, no federal funds, and no community support.
Additionally, it seems that no one wants to be affiliated with a segregated institution anymore...
A message from the school's president, Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett, Ed.D, states, "If monies can be found to purchase the King Papers or sustain Grady Hospital, surely there is a contingent of Atlantans who recognize the utility of assisting Morris Brown during these urgent times. With our young people, now more than ever, in need of guidance and opportunity, an institution like Morris Brown should get the highest priority."
Pritchett mentioned that Morris Brown is one of several sites in Atlanta - Paschal's Restaurant, Southwest Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital - which should be saved. Southwest Hospital has already lost its fight to survive.
Morris Brown cannot be propped up by those whose only calling is to preserve a "black institution" for historical reasons. The organization must be economically viable to float on rough seas and have a strong mission to provide what other organizations cannot give - HOPE and divine worship.
Why are some black institutions failing? Inability to integrate, be competitive, attract new donors, and win on the balance sheet.
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| Dr. Robert Threatt (Class of '49) with wife, Helen Threatt, led Morris Brown College from 1972 to 1984. |
According to William H. Swatos, Jr., editor of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, 90% of churchgoing African Americans belong to black-controlled religious organizations.
Looking at majority white religious institutions that have integrated, the one problem they have to surmount is also leadership-based. The pews and church rolls may be integrated but not the pulpit, deacon bench, or trustee board.
Blacks often participate on the entry level but rarely are seen in positions of power in majority white religious institutions. One exception is the recent installation of Fred J. Luter, Jr. as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Other predominately white mega churches in Atlanta, like Dr. Charles Stanley's First Baptist Church of Atlanta and Dr. Michael Youssef's Church of the Apostles, don't appear to have a large number of people of color in leadership positions. Dr. Youssef, however, was born in Africa. I have personally attended both these churches. Although the congregations of both churches are diverse, minority leadership rolls are not reflected on their church websites.
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| Dr. Youssef (3rd from right) is a Christian preacher born in Egypt. He leads a predominately white church. (Photo by Felipe Alequin.) |
©MBC photos by Kurk Johnson 2002. Article by Tomi Johnson 2012. All rights reserved
Doug Williams wrote: I do believe this was inevitable. Sad, but inevitable! Where is the alumni? Were there not enough gainfully employed, appreciative, MoBrown grads willing to support their alma mater? Maybe the nourishment was insufficient?
ReplyDeleteI know a portion of AME church member donations go to finance Morris Brown. A lot of black churches, unfortunately, have millions of dollars in mortgage loans, so black religious organizations are beholden to major banks which are led by whites. So, what does that tell you?
ReplyDeleteFr. Panayiotis wrote: I like your reporting. I like how you raise the issues. Of course, none of these things is as simple as it may look at first glance. The human dynamic is always at work in ways we some times fail to comprehend at first look.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing. Keep challenging. It's a good thing for all of us.