Anthony Dean-Harris

With the coming of President Franklin, rumors have run rampant of a heavy-handed dress code. I have heard that the new football coach has required the players to cut off their dreadlocks and shave their faces. The new freshmen got not only new t-shirts this year, but also snazzy new blazers. There’s talk of forcing chapel for all students as an actual class (this is in addition to Crown Forum). It’s talk of the return to the standards upheld in the Benjamin Mays days. This talk only seems like a danger to me. This talk ignores the question we should all ponder in our time here. What is a Morehouse Man? Is he the kind of man that is acceptable to the white businessman? Is he the kind of man that everyone loves? Is he the kind of man that won’t rattle the cages of the world? Is he docile? Is he submissive? What is a Morehouse Man? Is he the King who led people peacefully but still had the courage to fight? Is he the Lee who spoke in such a way that every man, woma...

Anyone who really knows me knows that I’m quite hopeful in my heart. I may exude harsh words often, but it’s only because I hold high standards. I complain so often about Morehouse because I expect so much from it and I hope that some form of prodding will push it to become the institution for Black men that I expect it to be. This is one of those complaints. I really wanted to be positive for the first issue of the paper. I knew I would have a page to fill and that I would have to do so single-handedly. Over the course of two days, I knew I would have to type a minimum of 1,900 words about my positive expectations for the year and not to frighten all the new “Franklin Men” with their pristine blazers. I had hoped to do this and then turn on the anger for the second issue, but Morehouse pushed me. On my arrival, I saw the poorly paved streets of the West End once again. The Greensferry Project is still a thorn in our community’s side. I go through the check-in pr...

I recently had a hall meeting. The signs were posted all across Mays Hall for people to gather at ten in the evening. After three years of hearing the standard boilerplate, I mulled over whether or not I should attend. My nagging sense of obligation forced me to attend. I would say that I regretted the decision but then I wouldn’t have this article. After some confusion about the meeting changing from a general hall meeting to simultaneous floor meetings (which is entirely the fault of the residential life staff considering no one received proper notification of this change), we went over the standard “getting to know you” meeting. Somehow, this meeting was different. The hallway was louder than in prior years. The people seemed glad to be there. Too many doors were open in the day. People are talking of hall step teams and chants and hand signs. For some odd reason, Mays hall was acting like a freshman dormitory (or at least the third floor was). There are a fe...

One very crucial value I think people should have is accountability. It keeps people in check. It oversees action. It forces people to consider consequences. Accountability is a quality that I have come to cherish in my life. It is also a value that I would love this institution to uphold this year. The hustle and bustle of this new year is filled with hope. We wrap up registration, moving in, and preparing for the start of classes with goals in mind. This August marks the beginning of something for all of us whether it is as students, faculty, or staff. Yet we must keep in mind that this start is something we control. This fall semester is a clean slate for any transgressions, whether they are academic or personal. This fall semester should begin with a pledge that the 141 st year of Morehouse College should far surpass the progress we made in the 140 th . The mark of excellence that we like to say we have begins with all of us towing the line. All of us...

The Caffeinated Masses Simulcast on Myspace So like I've been saying a lot in the past week, I've been reading a bunch of Chuck Klosterman. In about a week and a half, I read two of his books. It's sort of ridiculous. Anyway, because of this, I picked up Mountain Dew again. I bought two 2-liters of Mountain Dew and 1 2-liter of Vault from Wal-mart the other day. I finished one bottle today, although I haven't gotten any writing done. I think I really will get this paper done (or started) but I just have to muster the will. But all this thought about soda has made the think: when did we need all this caffeine? Americans have this idea that we're working more and faster than ever. We're doing all we can to not fall behind. Our work ethic is unparralleled in all the world. We can't be like Mexico where we all take a nap in the middle of the day. We aren't like Italy where we work for six straight months and then take a six month vacation. We...

The CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate I think I want to liveblog the debate this evening. I’m no Arianna Huffington, and this blog really is meant to be more of a supplement to the debate than a summary. Still, I’ll give it a go: 7:11 – Hilary Clinton wants to refer to herself as “progressive” instead of “liberal.” I’m highly bothered by this word choice. If the opposite of liberal is conservative, and Clinton makes a loose connection between liberal and progressive, this means that the opposite of progressive is regressive which is associated with conservative. If someone prominent makes this connection known, this may not play well with the other half of America . 7:12 – I like how Obama doesn’t want make this a Democrat/Republican dichotomy. He fights for America . 7:15 – This candidate video thing looks really stupid. 7:16 – Reparations? Someone asked the reparation question? I don’t think so. And Edwards still doesn’t answer the question after b...

President George W. Bush/Moses Simulcast on Myspace and Blogger While I was taking my shower today, I got to thinking about President Bush. I keep thinking about my parents and my grandmother and why they voted for him. They voted for him because he touts his Christianity. I still think that quite admirable, but I also dread it because he gives Christians a bad name sometimes. I don’t like the idea of pressing Jesus on people because Jesus worked on persuasion. He didn’t want people in the Body if they weren’t willing. I didn’t just follow the Christian, I thought hard before I voted. I knew I didn’t want George Bush to stay in office. But then the Holy Spirit came upon me and I realized that things won’t be that bad. President Bush, while harmful, won’t cause the absolute ruination of America . People blow things out of proportion. Whoever comes into office after him will repair whatever damage he has done hopefully. But I don’t sweat the issue that much...