Howard University News March 7, 2017 Grateful Howardites Salute the Institution at Sesquicentennial Celebrations A jubilant crowd of 1,700 Howardites hailed and toasted Howard University in honor of its 150-year legacy and continuing promise to the future at the Charter Day dinner on March 3. The University marked its sesquicentennial with several events throughout the week under the theme, "The Time is Always Now." The Charter Day dinner featured activist and rapper Common as master of ceremonies and performances by vocal jazz ensemble Afro Blue and R&B singer Tank. Common encouraged the crowd to express their passion and excitement for the University and "the heights to come in the next 150 years." Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, encouraged participants to never forget the "strong roots of our enduring past" and introduced a video featuring Howard alumnus Thurgood Marshall, the nation's first African-American associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. "Howard University will continue to be a unique undertaking - a microcosm of our world and the undeniable solution to some of this world's greatest challenges," Frederick said. Earlier in the week, the University community marked the sesquicentennial at the annual Charter Day Convocation on March 2. Convocation speaker Mark A. L. Mason, a Howard alumnus and member of the board of trustees, lauded Howard University as "the incubator that nurses America's conscience." "Today, Howard takes on a new relevance," he said. "Howard has always meant something different in each generation, while at the same time representing something timeless - the need to advance and the commitment to excellence in truth and service." In remarks during the week, Stacey J. Mobley, chairman of the board of trustees, focused on Howard University's perseverance through the decades. For the past 150 years, Howard persisted through the Reconstruction era, Jim Crow, World War I, World War II, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement. "Our University has witnessed tough times, and we have always been guided by our core values of truth, excellence and service," Mobley said. "The time is always now to shape history, tell our story, reach historic heights and break down barriers." Charter Day Convocation is an annual event commemorating the special charter enacted by the U.S. Congress, and subsequently approved by U.S. President Andrew Johnson, that established Howard University on March 2, 1867. Frederick has said the establishment of Howard University constituted one of the most noteworthy accomplishments in the history of American colleges and universities. For more photos of Howard University 2017 Charter Day, go to http://howardu.photoshelter.com/index/G0000J3NSt6a54AM For more photos of 2017 Convocation, go to http://howardu.photoshelter.com/index/G0000YjXd_XclGSA SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/