Father & Son Graduate Together

This week, a father-son duo are going to do something special and extraordinary:  They are going to graduate from Morehouse College together.   Dorian Joyner Sr. will march with his oldest son, Dorian Jr. fulfilling a promise he made to himself a very long time ago.

Joyner Sr. started at Morehouse in 1984, but didn’t finish.  By the time he was able to return, his son was going to be a freshman.   His son was stunned when his dad told him what he was planning to do.

“I said, ‘oh, you’re coming back to visit some of your friends?’” he remembered. “And Dorian Senior said ‘no, I’m coming back to be a student.’ I said, can you repeat that?”

The father and son supported one another through their matriculation, studying together and achieving their family goals as a unit.

“We used to have a support system. Sometimes he would come to my room to ask about a problem or a class or a professor to take,” he said. 

The two Morehouse men are proud of their achievements and say that it has brought them closer together.

“We’re Morehouse brothers,” the two said proudly.

Dorian Senior is planning to go to law school to eventually become a judge.  His son is planning to travel abroad with the Peace Corps.

This inspirational story speaks volumes in reference to the positive influence that a strong male figure can have in a young mans life. While this story is about a father and son, such efforts do not have to be dictated by genetics. Any man can be a role model or a father figure to a young man in need of guidance.

Contrary to the negative stereotypes there are strong African-American men out there who are willing to set an example for their sons, nephews, and young men in need. Men who do not fit the "rolling stone" archetype. Men who do what is right not for the glory or recognition. But because of a sense of responsibility to their children and their communities. The fact is, their a millions of Dorian senior's out there who are never mentioned, but strive each and every day to not only be the best man that they can be but the best example of a man that they can be.

PR