( 📸: Morehouse College)
Cousins! The HBCU community of Morehouse is mourning the tragic loss of two of their students who passed away following a fatal car accident on Labor Day!
20-year-old roommates Christion Files Jr. and Hugh Douglas Jr. were on their way to a party on September 4th around 5 p.m. within the East Point area of Atlanta when the accident took place, reports Georgia State Patrol.
According to WSBTV News, the students attempted to pass another vehicle in a curve off Church Street, at a reported high speed when their car swiftly left the road. It has been stated that Filer’s car hit two power-utility holes and ultimately overturned. The two boys were confirmed as dead at the scene.
The college released a statement the following day, describing the tragic ordeal as devastating.
“Hugh and Christion were not just friends but also roommates during their sophomore year, and their loss is deeply felt by all of us in the Morehouse family,” Kevin Booker, vice president for student services and dean of the college.
“During these difficult times, we must come together as a community to remember and celebrate the lives of Hugh and Christion. They leave a legacy of excellence, passion, and dedication that will continue to inspire us all.”
A memorial was also held by the Morehouse community as students, faculty members and the families of the victims joined together to mourn.
Files is said to have majored in business and served as a co-captain for the Morehouse track and field team. He was also noted as being a member of the Junior Council as a media chair.
Douglas was also a business major with a concentration in finance. He was a member of the Morehouse Business Association and, an AltFinance Fellow including a Goldman Sachs Fellow. He was also the son of former Eagles defender Hugh Douglas, reports the Inquirer.
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During the memorial Morehouse students expressed the impact of Files and Douglas’s passing and how their presence will ultimately be missed, reports Fox News.
“[Files] was my roommate freshman year and Hugh was right across the hall,” said student Emmanuel Agoro.
“It really broke my heart because I was on the way to the same party. I got there and then I found out what had happened and I raced down the street to go and see what happened and I was just distraught.”
He adds, “As a young college student, it’s like, it just puts everything in perspective. You have to slow down because if anybody else is moving at that same speed, like that could’ve happened to anybody.”
“A loss like this ripples through the community. There is truly a brotherhood and a sisterhood at Spelman that brings us all together, as well as a community at Clark. So to have any loss in the AUC is detrimental to everyone,” said a Senior student.
“I didn’t believe it at first. I’m waiting a bit to hear what really happened. To know that this happened it broke my heart,” senior Camryn Banks said.
Files and Douglas were Juniors and had been scheduled to graduate with honors in 2025.