Meeting for the first time in years, football teams from Morehouse College and Howard University will face off at the Nation’s Football Classic this Saturday in Washington, D.C. But you may find few people talking about the game itself.
In fact, the flurry of activities surrounding the classic’s inaugural game, which include debates, symposiums and receptions, suggest that pressing social issues, along with athletics, will be at the forefront of the event.
Fittingly, the theme for this year’s event is that it is “More than just a game.”
“Sometimes you can use sports, which people are interested in, as a backdrop to address issues such as Black male achievement,” says Dr. Alvin Thornton, senior adviser to the president at Howard.
On Thursday, Thornton participated in a symposium addressing Black male stereotypes and achievement. The panel included such all-stars as Michael Eric Dyson, Fredricka Whitfield and actor Isaiah Washington.
On Friday, representatives from several HBCUs will gather in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as part of an HBCU college recruitment and showcase tour. Later in the day, forensics teams from Morehouse and Howard will debate a timely and pertinent issue—whether student athletes should be paid for their services.
“We have deliberately designed a number of programs to highlight the academic excellence of our two institutions and of all Black colleges and universities,” says Robert Franklin, Morehouse’s president.
