On February 14, 1867, Morehouse College was founded in the basement of Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. What started as a school to educate formerly enslaved men has become one of the most prestigious institutions in the country and the only all-male historically Black college in America. In honor of Founders Day, here are 10 Morehouse Men, past and present, who continue to shape history.
1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Class of 1948) The man who changed the world entered Morehouse at just 15 years old. He earned his bachelor’s in sociology and went on to lead the civil rights movement, deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech, and become the youngest person at the time to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
2. Spike Lee (Class of 1979) Before he redefined American cinema, Spike Lee was a Morehouse Man directing his first student films on campus. From She’s Gotta Have It to Do the Right Thing to Malcolm X, Lee’s work has shaped how the world sees Black stories on screen. He’s an Academy Award winner, and Morehouse runs deep in his films, most notably School Daze, which was inspired by his time on the yard.
3. Samuel L. Jackson (Class of 1972) The highest-grossing box office actor of all time got his start at Morehouse, where he switched his major from marine biology to acting. With over 150 films to his name, including Pulp Fiction and his iconic role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jackson is literally a cultural institution.
4. Julian Bond (attended 1960s) While a student at Morehouse, Julian Bond helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the most important organizations of the civil rights movement. He went on to co-found the Southern Poverty Law Center and served as chairman of the NAACP. Bond spent his life fighting for justice and using his platform to hold America accountable.
5. Dr. Louis Sullivan (Class of 1954) Dr. Sullivan served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush and founded the Morehouse School of Medicine. His work has shaped health policy in this country for decades and opened doors for generations of Black physicians.
6. Edwin Moses (Class of 1978) Edwin Moses dominated hurdles. The two-time Olympic gold medalist won 107 consecutive finals in the 400-meter hurdles between 1977 and 1987, one of the greatest streaks in sports history. He set the world record four times and later became a leader in Olympic reform and anti-doping efforts.
7. Maynard Jackson (Class of 1956) In 1973, Maynard Jackson became the first Black mayor of Atlanta, a city that would become the cultural and economic capital of Black America. He served three terms and transformed the city’s airport, now named Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in his honor, into the world’s busiest, while ensuring Black-owned businesses had a role in building and eating at the table.
8. Nicholas Brown (Class of 1999) In 2024, Nicholas Brown was elected Attorney General of Washington state, becoming the first African American to hold the position. A Morehouse magna cum laude graduate, Harvard Law alum, Bronze Star recipient, and former U.S. Attorney, Brown has dedicated his career to public service and justice. He even appeared on Survivor: The Australian Outback while in law school.
9. Admiral Alvin Holsey (Class of 1988) In November 2024, Alvin Holsey was promoted to four-star admiral and took command of the United States Southern Command, becoming Morehouse College’s highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. A Fort Valley, Georgia native who earned his degree in computer science through NROTC, Holsey spent 37 years in the Navy, commanding everything from the Navy’s first hybrid electric warship to a carrier strike group. Under his leadership, SOUTHCOM seized over a million pounds of cocaine and strengthened security partnerships across the Caribbean and Latin America. In late 2025, Holsey retired after raising concerns about the legality of military strikes ordered in the Caribbean, choosing principle over position. A Morehouse Man to the end.
10. James Jeter (Class of 2013) James Jeter started working at Ralph Lauren at 16 years old. After graduating from Morehouse, he climbed from intern to design associate to lead designer of the groundbreaking Morehouse and Spelman Colleges Collection. In 2024, he was named Creative Director for Men’s Polo, making him the brand’s first Black Creative Director in its 57-year history. When Ralph Lauren asked how he felt during the racial reckoning of 2020, Jeter answered honestly: “Is this company going to remain all-white?” That conversation changed the brand forever.
From a church basement in Augusta to the halls of Congress, the courts, the cockpit, the runway, and the world stage, Morehouse Men have always shown us what’s possible.
