ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is giving $500,000 to Morris Brown College to encourage a new, diverse generation of leaders in the hospitality industry. They’re also helping to build a new hotel on campus with an instructional space for students.
“Wherever you see me, you see Morris Brown College, and I’m proud of that,” said Derrick Boazman.
Boazman graduated from Morris Brown College in 1990. Since then, he’s been an Atlanta City councilperson for two terms, has traveled the world working for the college, has a radio show and has been an activist in Atlanta for two decades.
He says Morris Brown represents Black excellence, and he’s not the only graduate you may recognize.
“Morris Brown College turned out Pulitzer Prize winners. It turned out Hosea Williams, Arthur Langford, it turned out the first Black chief of Atlanta. It turned out the current sheriff of DeKalb County, and so that shows you what kind of institution this is,” said Boazman.
But since the school has had financial and accreditation issues for the last 15 years, some people forget what the school has done successfully for most of its 140-year existence.
Chick-fil-A is now gifting the school $500,000 to revitalize its hospitality programs. Students will participate in a two-year leadership and development program in that field, and Chick-fil-A is helping them build a hotel on campus with hands-on opportunities for students.
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Boazman hopes other Atlanta-based companies follow Chick-fil-A’s lead and invest in Morris Brown.
“Make the level of investment because when you invest in Morris Brown, you’re investing in a work force that can then turn around and come into these corporations and do wonderful things,” said Boazman.
Cox Media Group
