Impressively, Seattle's African-American community has now stepped up to fix a broken promise to 10 college students.
A community shares the pride when its children do well. When they have been treated unfairly, we share their pain. And when something can be done to ease that pain, we should share in that as well.
Two years ago, a Detroit businessman and his scholarship fund pledged $100,000 to help send 10 Seattle students to college. The scholarships were awarded to the young men who wrote the best 1,000-word essays on what they would do to improve the image of African-American males. Those students went off to college with the promise that some of their expenses would be covered by the scholarship fund. That money never materialized.
Impressively, members of Seattle’s African-American community have stepped up to fulfill that broken promise.
Anthony Shoecraft and Chinua Lambie, and other leaders of a small local nonprofit called MoHundred, have set a goal to raise $100,000 by Jan. 31 — not just because a promise was made to these promising young people. The group is also endorsing the importance of higher education and illustrating how people working together for the good of the community can accomplish tremendous goals.
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“We just want to restore the broken promise and restore their faith in their community,” Shoecraft said. The enthusiasm for their efforts has been gratifying. As of Monday, they had attracted $20,000 in cash and pledges.
“It just feels like the universe and God are conspiring to make something special,” Shoecraft said after listing all the people and organizations that have already come forward to help. A local video producer is creating a documentary about the students. Friends and celebrities are writing checks. The College Success Foundation is hosting the fundraising campaign and handling the administrative tasks.
Even without this scholarship money, these 10 students and their families are working hard toward their college dreams. Shoecraft calls the young men and their families resilient but says money is very tight. One young man is taking a stop-and-go approach by working six months of the year and then re-enrolling and taking some classes.
Thank you, MoHundred, for reminding the rest of us how powerful community can be.