On Tuesday night we hosted Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, president of Morehouse College, for Bless the Mic. I selected him because he has written what I think is one of the most important books for African Americans over the past five years- Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope In African American Communities.

As a part of our freshman colloquium, all new students read a common text. With Franklin's book being the text, we provided a time just for freshmen to ask their questions.

After the Q&A we had our dinner and prepared for the lecture.

About 500 people turned out, which was very good. Franklin talked about the three anchors of the African American community- the church, the family, and the school/college, and what needs to happen with each to improve the village.

He also spoke briefly about the current controversy at Morehouse- the appropriate attire policy. But he placed it in the context of the larger vision to produce Renaissance men with social conscious and global perspective. A part of this are the 5 wells: well read, well spoken, well traveled, well dressed, and well balance. Many of my students like the 5 wells (so I'm going to have to bite- good stuff.)

Once again, Crisis in the Village is a must read. I am glad that we have had hundreds of people on our campus reading it, and we are really having some spirited discussions about what we can do for our villages.

The Prez