How FAMU's homecoming is a full circle moment for professor, alum Maurice Johnson

Maurice Johnson, a returning professor at Florida A&M University, hasn't missed a FAMU homecoming since the time he first stepped foot on campus in 2002.

This year marks his 20th homecoming — with the theme being "The FAMU Experience" — and the first year of him “coming back home” to the university just in time to celebrate the coincidental milestones.

“It feels amazing,” said Johnson. “The students immediately embraced me upon my return. Some of my former students were 18 and 19 when I had them, and now they’re seniors and they’re serving in leadership roles.”

Johnson previously taught at FAMU from 2011 to 2020 before leaving to teach at Florida State University. He now teaches at both schools.

At FAMU, Johnson is currently teaching Hip Hop and Global Mass Communication, an online course, as well as Visual Storytelling, a class that has never been taught before at the university.

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He also continues to teach at FSU in the courses Media Techniques and Mass Media Law.

Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from FAMU in 2007 and his master’s in integrated marketing communications from FSU in 2011.

He says although he left FAMU for a year to teach at FSU, he “never closed the door" on his initial alma mater.

“It was an opportunity to return to J School (School of Journalism & Graphic Communication) in addition to teaching here, the institution from which I garnered the knowledge that became the foundation of everything I’m doing now,” Johnson said.

School of Journalism & Graphic Communication Dean Mira Lowe says it's rewarding to have Johnson back in the classroom as a professor.

"Having been a student at FAMU, Professor Johnson really connects with the students here," Lowe said. "He inspires them, and they inspire him as well."

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Johnson finds a lot of his students stopping by his classroom to tell him how much he played a heavy role in who they’ve become.

“It makes me feel good to know that despite my absence, I still had a presence here,” Johnson said. “Now that I’ve returned, I’m able to pick up where I left off.”

Another coincidence is that FAMU’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, which Johnson graduated from, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

"I am excited to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary this year, especially during homecoming week when alumni from around the country will be on campus," Lowe said. "Having former students return to SJGC to reconnect with each other and meet with current students is a tremendous time. The camaraderie can’t be matched."

Founded in 1982, FAMU's journalism program is the first one to be nationally accredited at a historically black college or university (HBCU).

Graduates of the college include ABC News President Kimberly Godwin, humorist and correspondent for The Daily Show Roy Wood Jr., former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms and ESPN play-by-play commentator Tiffany Greene, who will be the speaker at Friday's Homecoming Convocation.

The journalism school will be holding a reception Thursday at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives from 6-9 p.m.

Significance of FAMU, HBCU homecomings

With FAMU being an HBCU, Johnson explained how its establishment came out of a place of necessity since it was created to serve Black individuals while they were prohibited from attending most colleges in the late 1800s.

To have attended an HBCU adds to Johnson’s pride for the university and the reason for celebration, especially since he is a first-generation college student. Born on the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, he is the child of two military veterans — his father from Detroit, Michigan and his mother from Canton, Ohio — who met while they were stationed there.

“'The FAMU Experience' is experiencing love and charity and embodying it once you leave the institution,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t end when you cross that stage and graduate.”

He recalls how while traveling with FAMU apparel on, people will often stop him to address their excitement about him being a Rattler. To Johnson, the small act ties to the strong symbolism of the university and how students and alumni must positively represent it.

"FAMU’s homecoming experiences are so impactful, not just to students and alumni abroad, but also to the culture as a whole," said FAMU alumna Melissa Mitchell, a Miami native who currently lives in Atlanta. "We see the influence of FAMU all over. Everywhere we turn, there’s a Rattler doing something."

Mitchell, who is also a full-time artist and founder of the company Abeille Creations, has been attending FAMU's homecomings for the past 30 years even though she started attending FAMU in 2000. There are more than 50 FAMU graduates in her family.

She knew without a doubt that she would be part of this week's events.

“It’s an opportunity to remember everything it took to get our degree, what it means to be a Rattler and how it feels to have accomplished so many different things,” Mitchell said. "It is an honor and a privilege to come back every year. This year will definitely be a FAMU experience and an epic experience."

More strong alumni ties to FAMU, homecoming

FAMU alumnus Patrick Crawford, 71, has been attending the widely-anticipated homecomings since 1964 while his siblings were students at the university. He graduated from FAMU in 1974.

Crawford is currently in Tallahassee and says he looks forward to the excitement, competition and football game during homecoming, as well as seeing old faces.

“I started my experience as a teenager watching my first football game at FAMU, and I was awestruck to say the least,” said Crawford, a Marianna, Florida native. “From then on, I attended homecoming every year until I eventually became a student. It was a lifelong dream of mine to attend, and my desire to return has grown even stronger over the years.”

Crawford met his wife Carolyn Crawford at FAMU, and his children also attended the university — including two-time FAMU alumnus Omari Crawford who was named Mr. FAMU from 2008 to 2009.

Omari Crawford will also be attending this year’s homecoming and sees it as more than just an opportunity to catch up with old friends. For him, it's also an opportunity to link up with family.

When he enrolled into FAMU in 2004, he was one of about 40 relatives on both sides of his extended family to attend the university. Since the time Omari Crawford graduated in 2009, there have been over 70 of them who have either attended or graduated from FAMU.

“It means more to me than it may for other people,” said Omari Crawford, 36, who is from Decatur, Georgia. "When I go back to homecoming, it’s not just to see friends, colleagues, teammates and classmates, but it’s to see a lot of my family members too. It truly is a family reunion.”

This year's FAMU Homecoming began Sunday Oct. 23 and runs through Saturday Oct. 29.

“We’re really looking forward to reuniting, catching up and feeling the spirit that we felt when we were 18 and first stepped foot on the hill,” Johnson said.

For a full schedule of the homecoming events, visit https://homecomingatfamu.com/.

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_. 

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU professor Maurice Johnson sees homecoming as full circle moment