July, it was time to make a decision, so he went to the registrar’s office and applied. Accepted the same day, he says legacy is what Clark Atlanta University is all about for him. “There’s a shared legacy among the generations of building meaningful relationships that transcend classrooms and carry over into every corner of campus life. It was nearly impossible for me to walk across campus without someone recognizing me as Amuck’s (the late Shaheed Henry, a Morehouse alumnus) son, Roland Blanding’s grandson, or Ralph Long’s great-grandson. On any given day, I could also be known as Rolanda’s son or Wylma’s grandson. Being surrounded by faculty who had personal relationships with my family made the university feel more like home. They knew me beyond my student ID—some even had my mother’s number and could call her at any time, for better or worse.” He recalls as a child visiting the home of his grandfather’s best friends and playing in a basement filled with Coca Cola memorabilia, from pool tables to vending machines. As it turns out, that friend was Carl Ware, a former executive president of Coca- Cola. Ahmad says, “One of the most surreal moments came when I walked into the CMW building and saw the mural of Carl and Mary Ware on the wall. That moment perfectly captured what CAU means to me: a place of legacy, community, and deep-rooted connections.”
Chiana Fowler, a 2025 graduate, started her college tenure at the University of Alabama, but she says Clark just made sense when it became clear that she was ready to transfer. “It turned out to be a great experience, honestly.”
Spending three years at Clark, she became a cheerleader and also was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.—the same chapter as her mother and great aunt. Horace Wyatt, Jr. (HJ), April’s oldest son, was headed to Clark, but when his basketball coach accepted an offer from the University of Arkansas Little Rock, HJ accepted a scholarship and was Arkansas-bound. Then, COVID hit. HJ came home and enrolled at Morehouse. When his coach there passed away suddenly, he took a year off before coming to CAU. He says, “Everything happens the way it’s supposed to. I just wanted to finish school, and I ended up enrolling as a regular student.” The 6’6’’ former small forward is majoring in sociology with a minor in criminal justice and is scheduled to graduate at the end of this semester. With six generations of Atlanta University, Clark College, and Clark Atlanta University graduates, this family is proud of its CAU roots and acknowledges that the cycle is not at its end. Ralph Long IV, grandson of Ralph Jr., just received his acceptance letter. And Ahmad’s daughter, Israel, who is nearly 12, has already declared that she is CAU-bound, making her the beginning of the seventh generation of the Long family’s Clark College-Atlanta University-Clark Atlanta University legacy.
30 Clark Atlanta Magazine
Powered by FlippingBook