Morehouse College opened its new Multimedia Center on Wednesday, giving students a place to turn reporting ideas into work they can shoot, record, edit and share. The Atlanta HBCU built the space with support from Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand, bringing a major investment in journalism education into everyday use.
The center sits within Morehouse’s Journalism in Sports, Culture, and Social Justice department. Students will use it for digital storytelling, sports broadcasting, podcasts, filmmaking and projects involving emerging media technology. Morehouse says the training will pair industry equipment with instruction from working content creators. A student can follow a story from research and interviews through production, building the skills and body of work needed to pursue a media career.
Jordan and Jordan Brand announced a $1 million gift to Morehouse in 2021 to support scholarships, technology and programming in journalism and sports-related studies. Morehouse now describes the commitment as exceeding $1 million. The college’s work in this field also has roots in a journalism and sports program launched with support from filmmaker and alumnus Spike Lee. Its journalism major followed in 2022.
Emani Saucier, a Morehouse alumnus and the center’s inaugural director and co-founder, described what he wants the space to make possible: “This space is designed to inspire creativity, expand access, and empower students to tell impactful stories that shape culture and drive change.”
Students have already put the center’s equipment and training to work. Morehouse says content made with gear purchased for the facility drew more than 1 million social media views in August, while training through the program contributed to a student Emmy-winning interview for The Maroon Tiger. Nearly 120 journalism alumni currently work in media and sports, according to the college.
Wednesday’s opening gives the next group of Morehouse storytellers a dedicated space to practice, experiment and get their work in front of an audience.