830 Westview Drive: A Book of Short Stories

Close your eyes and imagine living in the South when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and then read to the slaves for the very first time. Imagine hearing that, even though you are colored, you can finally pursue a formal education because colleges are opening everywhere for the colored.

You can now open your eyes. It is present day, and you have just received notification of your acceptance into Morehouse College, a historically black men’s college in Atlanta. When you first discovered this unique institution in a history book and learned that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other historical African American forefathers graduated from Morehouse College, it inspired you like nothing had ever done before.

Even though you did not experience the struggles of the late 18th century, at seventeen you have your own story to tell. As you watch the news and see black men portrayed as thieves, murderers, and gang members, you have to fight even harder. You know there are other men you can identify with, but you rarely interact with them. And then you enter Morehouse College and cannot believe your eyes. Your hopes and prayers are answered when you meet other positive black men from all over the world who have come to this prestigious school in search of friends like you.

Jason Spann is an alumnus of Morehouse College. He lives in Southern California and works as a High School Teacher. He hopes his stories will educate and inspire all who read them.