From the Yard to the World: Anré D. Washington, Esq.'s "Sparkhouse" Experience Made Morehouse All The Sweeter
Written By: Dani Canada
Before making an impact as an accomplished attorney at Krevolin & Horst, Anré D. Washington, Esq.’s life was impacted by Morehouse College. After discovering the school's Mt. Rushmore of alumni like Maynard Jackson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Spike Lee, and Samuel L. Jackson, Washington's interest peaked as he imagined his name aligned with those greats. With that, the private historically Black, men's, liberal arts college was the only school that received his application.
“It was magical [at Morehouse] for many reasons,” Washington told OffTheYard about the college that felt “tailored to him.” “My entire life as a young Black man, I had always seen myself as a standout for certain reasons. But then you get around another group of talented, incredible, educated, hardworking Black men, and you realize that you get to define yourself by everything other than just being Black and a man. You get to define yourself by where you're from, your interests, and your passions."
“I pulled so much inspiration from that and our professors poured into us and told us we were part of an important answer that our country and the university needed,” he added. “It fulfilled so many of my aspirations about college and what I wanted to be outside of just practical education. It was really a transformative life experience.”
Part of that transformative experience involved forming bonds with students at two fellow Atlanta University Center schools; Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University. According to Washington, he’s a product of the "Sparkhouse" era, a time when the Universities bonded around President Barack Obama’s election. The "Sparkhouse" bonds the commercial and civil litigator formed stand true to this day.
"Fourteen years later, I reach out to people at every institution regularly just for check-ins and family updates, but my phone rings regularly from a business development standpoint from people at each school. I’m able to reach out to them and help them in ways large or small."
He doesn’t just offer a helping hand to fellow AUC alum, however, Washington reciprocates Mother Morerhouse's nurturing back to it, like when he helped raise seed capital to establish the Morehouse College International Comparative Labor Studies Program.
"It's something that will hopefully live far beyond me, but it's something I'm incredibly proud of," said Washington.
Ultimately, if he could impact newly minted Morehouse Men with advice, he would remind them to stay “humble” and “hungry” as they become the next generation of leaders in the institution’s global community.
"Your biggest contributions will be as Morehouse men living to the best version of who you are, your radical originality," said Washington. "Think about that intently in your professional identity, in your general identity, and focus on that. Because usually that sense of inspiration, that movement that you have in your heart about helping people, will push you towards your calling and your work. And if you can merge those two and truly focus on how to help people, that's where your impact is." He continued,
"Black people in America and Black people in the diaspora, you have in your blood and in your bones, ancestors who not only refused to die but could not be killed by anything. We represent the absolute best of humanity, the best of history. And everything that's in your blood and your bones compels you to take all of your best calling and to embrace the work that it takes to be excellent. But know that you already got it, Know that what blood runs through your bones is something that is undefeatable, it cannot be defeated, cannot be broken, and you absolutely will do incredible things should you choose to embrace that legacy."