After a day of whining at AUC J’Ouvert (not really lol I’m not a dancer), my friends and I decided to stop by the Morris Brown College cookout. Apparently, it was a Cali themed cookout with pimped out cars and pitbulls on leashes. It reminded me of Homecoming in the AUC. Everyone had on super cute outfits, while walking around eating funnel cakes and grilled chicken. As we walked the area of the cookout, we traveled over the bridge overlooking the city and slid through a fence ducked off the side of the campus. It took us to what appeared to be an old dorm and what I knew to be the old Morris Brown stadium, better known as the infamous Herndon Stadium.
I’d been here before on another adventure but I wanted to show my friends what still stood of the campus. After telling the security guard our reason for trespassing onto this side of campus, he allowed us to stand a distance from the field and look at what was left. It was beautiful. Plenty of spray painted masterpieces graced the walls of the field. We overlooked the overgrown grass to see the beauty in the history of the school that seemed to lose its way.
We stood there talking about the state of Morris Brown if it continued to have the prestige it once had and how the AUC would’ve been more poppin. We talked about how it must be sad for the alum to visit their alma mater and see the condition it’s now in and to see their old dorms torn down. On our walk back to the car we discussed what might’ve happened and the reasons for their fall from grace. Although these were just rumors, I decided to do a bit of research when I got home. According to the Atlanta Black Star, “In 2002, in light of charges of financial impropriety and misappropriation of funds by some college officials, Morris Brown College lost its accreditation and became a scaled-down version of its former self, selling off some of its campus buildings in the process.” As a student of Clark Atlanta University I’ve learned the importance of family, therefore knowing my university, along with other AUC institutions ,did little to nothing to rescue Morris Brown saddened me to my core. I know there are many factors to the downfall of this admirable mecca of black excellence and I wish there was something that could’ve been done.
As we stood there at the foot of history, we couldn’t help but imagine what times were like in the 70s and 80s when Morris Brown was at it’s peak. Soon after our pow wow, my friend confessed her obsession of becoming a MB Wolverine after seeing the film Drumline for the first time and knew for sue she would attend this school. As was talking, I began to envision the scenes from the movie- the bands, battling like their lives depended on it. A time when things were much more simpler and everyone was having a good time.
As we crossed the bridge again and made our exit from the Cali cookout, I looked at the old buildings and smiled. Even in such bad conditions, we made the best of our situations. We came together and had a great time and it felt amazing. As of today, Morris Brown College is accredited once again and they seem to be on a come up. Hopefully, 20 years from now when I visit for my CAU Homecoming, I will see Morris Brown’s campus back in full effect.
If you’re a high schooler who stumbled upon this article, take a moment to consider attending a historical institution such as Morris Brown College. Become a part of history or as the Morris Brown family would say, “become grounded in excellence and anchored in tradition.” Apply here.
Photo credit: The Undefeated, The Undefeated, Pinterest