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Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 2
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Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. Councilmember Charles Allen 6
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Councilmember Janeese Lewis George 10
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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION 17
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 22
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To honor the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to commemorate his 27
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birthday, and to designate Monday, January 16, 2023, as “Dr. King’s Celebration of 28
Excellence featuring Howard University vs. Morehouse College Men’s Basketball” in the 29
District of Columbia. 30
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WHEREAS, Dr. King was raised in a home where education was a priority; 32
WHEREAS, at age 15, Dr. King was a scholar enrolled in Morehouse College in Atlanta, 33
Georgia, a historically Black men’s liberal arts college, and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of 34
Arts in Sociology; 35
WHEREAS, Dr. King was raised in a Christian home, was a spiritual and religious man, 36
and decided to follow in the path of his father, a minister, by enrolling in his first integrated 37
school, Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1951; 38
WHEREAS, Dr. King continued his educational and religious studies as a doctoral 39
student at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he also audited philosophy classes 40
at Harvard University, and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Systemic Theology in 1955 at the 41
age of 26; 42
WHEREAS, Dr. King led his family as husband and father, his churches as pastor, and 43
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as co-founder; 44
WHEREAS, Dr. King received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Howard 45
University in 1957 alongside Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball’s first African-American 46
player, and Patrick Murphy Malin, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU); 47
WHEREAS, Dr. King engaged in civil rights movement actions throughout the South, 48
including the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, the student-led Atlanta Student Movement sit-49
ins beginning in 1960, the 1965 Alabama voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, and, 50
of great import to the District of Columbia, the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 where 51
he delivered the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech; 52
WHEREAS, Dr. King earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his global efforts, having 53
a transformative impact not just on African-American culture, but on American culture, and is 54
quoted as saying, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort 55
and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”; 56
WHEREAS, Dr. King recognized the political and symbolic power of sports, and 57
understood athletic competitions and athletes could serve as a visible and vocal force to advance 58
civil rights and social justice; 59
WHEREAS, each year in the District of Columbia, Howard University honors Dr. King's 60
Celebration of Excellence by hosting nonconference men’s basketball contests against iconic 61
historical institutions; 62
WHEREAS, this year Howard University invited the Morehouse College to participate in 63
the annual game, elevating the message of Dr. King by inviting student athletes from Dr. King’s 64
alma mater to Washington, DC for the athletic competition, and for continued community 65
commitment towards Dr. King’s social justice goals; 66
WHEREAS, this contest will take place in Burr Gymnasium which is where Dr. King 67
gave his last ever address on Howard University’s campus in 1966 as part of the seventh annual 68
Gandi Memorial Lecture Series; 69
WHEREAS, Howard University, founded in 1867, has furthered its mission to eliminate 70
the inequities related to race, color, social, economic, and political circumstances and continues 71
to develop some of the most talented Black scholars, activists, theologians, educators, and 72
athletes for the benefit of the world; 73
WHEREAS, Howard University’s Men’s Basketball program features three District of 74
Columbia natives on their roster: Team Captain Jelani Williams, Elijah Hawkins, and Marcus 75
Dockery; 76
WHEREAS, three members of the coaching staff are also native to the District of 77
Columbia: Head Coach Kenneth Blakeney, Assistant Coach Tyler Thornton, and Chief Program 78
Strategist Daniel Marks; 79
WHEREAS, Morehouse College, founded as Augusta Theological Institute in 1867 in 80
Augusta, Georgia, with the purpose of preparing African-American men for careers in theology 81
and education, and later relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and renamed Morehouse College in 1913 82
in honor of Henry L. Morehouse, the corresponding secretary of the Northern Baptist Home 83
Mission Society; 84
WHEREAS, Morehouse College has been a leader in this country for developing men 85
with disciplined minds who lead lives of leadership and service; 86
WHEREAS, Howard University Men’s Basketball Coach Kenneth Blakeney and the 87
Morehouse College Men’s Basketball Coach Douglas Whittler both have strong commitment in 88
developing their respective HBCU athletic programs, and most importantly, in developing 89
socially conscious young men committed to excellence embodied by both of their institutions; 90
WHEREAS, Coach Whittler will take his team to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial 91
on Monday, January 16
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for a gathering with Morehouse alumni to honor Dr. King’s legacy; 92
WHEREAS, Coach Blakeney challenged his team to honor the legacy of activism at 93
Howard University by partaking in a season-long social justice project around an issue of their 94
choosing, and took his team to multiple events at the 2022 Congressional Black Caucus Annual 95
Legislative Conference; 96
WHEREAS, Howard University Men’s Basketball humbly decided to prioritize Black 97
maternal health advocacy and has committed to volunteering with Mamatoto Village, an 98
organization located in Ward 7 devoted to serving Black women through the creation of career 99
pathways in maternal health and providing accessible perinatal support services to expectant 100
Black mothers, for a community event to prepare pregnancy care kits as a team service activity, 101
and has engaged in multiple conversations with the Congressional Black Caucus on these issues; 102
WHEREAS, both on and off the basketball court, the annual game honoring Dr. Martin 103
Luther King, Jr.’s Celebration of Excellence stands as a demonstration of unity, collegiality, and 104
sportsmanship. 105
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this 106
resolution may be cited as the “Dr. King’s Celebration of Excellence featuring Howard 107
University vs. Morehouse College Men’s Basketball Recognition Resolution of 2023.” 108
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes the historic nature of this 109
matchup, as well as the contributions of Howard University and Morehouse College in furthering 110
the educational, spiritual, athletic, and moral development of their students, and declares 111
Monday, January 16, 2023, as “Dr. King’s Celebration of Excellence featuring Howard 112
University vs. Morehouse College Men’s Basketball Day” in the District of Columbia. 113
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in 114
the District of Columbia Register. 115