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Morgan Family and Friends,
As we begin our recovery from what, for many of us, was a long, tense week of waiting, I take this opportunity to congratulate Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris for their hard-won victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Kudos, also, to all of you who exercised your right to vote and to choose the leadership that will meet the many daunting challenges we face as a nation at this critical moment in our history.
I was among the many observers who noted with pleasure that Vice President Biden — Morgan State University’s Spring 2017 Commencement speaker — built a broad, diverse, inclusive coalition in carrying out his successful campaign, one that had the nation’s Black and marginalized communities as a crucial element of support. Although I wasn’t privy to the planning and deliberation of the Biden-Harris effort, I am sure it mirrored the work of the interracial coalition of ministers who founded Morgan as the Centenary Biblical Institute more than 150 years ago. Certainly, that group of African-American and white ministers disagreed on many things and were miles apart in their cultural experiences, values and understanding in many areas. But the end result, an Historically Black Institution that has withstood countless challenges to continue cultivating the excellence of generations of students, proved that total agreement wasn’t necessary to create a strong, effective alliance.
As we move forward individually and collectively to embrace a future that is inclusive of all, I believe it would serve us greatly to remember the work of those who established Morgan, and other HBCUs, and to reflect on the achievements that have come during the decades since then. Change in the nation has often come slowly and haltingly, with many setbacks, but today, largely as a result of those above-mentioned efforts, we can say with pride that Sen. Kamala Harris, alumna of our fellow HBCU Howard University, has made history as our first female, first Asian-American and first African-American vice president-elect. God willing, she, and President-elect Biden, will play a vital role in creating a more just, more prosperous U.S.A. for many years to come.
Please rest well, Morganites, as we prepare to put our shoulders to the wheel at daybreak. This historic moment will become a turning point to greatness only if we commit to continue giving our utmost to the cause of equality and justice for all.
With utmost respect,
David Kwabena Wilson
President
Morgan State University
