Andrew Hall, Staff Writer, MSU Spokesman
Just about a hundred Morgan State University students joined Jordan Gipson, the 39th Mister Morgan, at his second annual Morgan Man March across campus on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.
In 2025, Morgan State University launched the Presidential Task Force on the State of Black Male Enrollment at Morgan. The initiative was created to address a decrease in Black male enrollment.
Gipson, the 39th Mister Morgan State University, has contributed to this effort by organizing several empowerment events for men on campus. The March featured several speakers who shared their experiences and perspectives on being a Black man in college today.
Sultan Goodwine, Morgan’s Mister Junior for the 2026-27 academic school year, kicked off the March with a clear call to action.
“We live in a time where everything is fighting for our attention. It’s easy to confuse being busy with forward movement. You can give your time to everything and still give your focus to absolutely nothing,” said Goodwine. “So, Morgan men, protect your time. Protect your energy. Protect your focus because where focus goes, your future follows.”
Mister Sophomore for the 2026-27 academic school year, Zaire Reed, emphasized the importance of financial literacy and community during his speech.
“There are still underprivileged people living below their means. We have to start using each other as well, not just relying on solely pulling ourselves up by our bootstrap,” Reed said. “If we do that, we’re setting ourselves up for not just a better tomorrow, but a better future as a whole. So let’s not just make our money. Let’s build with it. And let’s make it work for us.”
Christopher Wayne Pedlar Jr., a sophomore electrical engineering major, described his experience at the event as “phenomenal.”
“It’s motivating and inspiring, not only the speeches, but the community in general,” Pedlar Jr. said. “We had great laughs and just an overall great experience. It really left a mark upon my life.”
Julien Garnes, an electrical engineering major, added, “The event was amazing. The guest speakers were phenomenal,” he said. “They really motivated me. I have a couple of exams coming up, so they helped me remember my purpose.”
As students marched throughout the campus, they proudly chanted “I am a Morgan Man!” Nguyen Burrell, a sophomore civil engineering major, explained what being a Morgan Man means to him.
“To me, to be a Morgan Man means to be a man of integrity, a man that leads by example, and is a proper representation of what a true man is supposed to be like,” Burrell told the Spokesman. “I feel that a Morgan Man is someone who makes an impact on those all around him.”
To Gipson, being a Morgan Man is everything.
“I think being a Morgan Man is being a trailblazer in the world. Every Morgan Man that I know, that I look up to, they’re doing big things in the world,” he said. “We make a difference here, but we’re going to make 10 times the difference in the world.”
As a prelude to the March, 100 men in suits gathered at Earl Graves Field, representing Gipson’s commitment to providing spaces for men on campus to obtain and wear business attire.
“How you dress is 90% of how people perceive you when you walk into a room. I could be in sweats and walk into a room, and people wouldn’t take me as seriously as me walking into the room with a suit on,” he said. “I realized that in my freshman year, I didn’t even own a suit. Now I realize how important it is to dress up, have a suit and tie on, and just dress how you want to be treated.”
Reflecting on the event, Gipson explained what he hoped attendees walked away with.
“You coming to this event, having the courage to come out here, is already taking that step to be the best version of yourself.”