In 1981 millionaire businessman Eugene Lang was invited to address the 6th grade class of P.S. 121 in East Harlem. Lang had been a student there, and he was prepared to tell the students, now mostly African American and Latino, that if they worked hard, they could be successful also.
He looked out the 61 students and realized how hollow those words were. In an on-the-spot impulsive move, he put aside his remarks. “So I began by telling them that one of my most memorable experiences was Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and that everyone should have a dream. Then I decided to tell them I’d give a scholarship to every member of the class admitted to a four-year college.”
Later a principal told him that at most perhaps one or two students would take advantage of the offer. It was then that Mr. Lang realized the students needed more than money. He hired a project coordinator, met with the students, encouraged them, provided tutors, and gave assistance in finding jobs for those students who decided not to go to college.
At least half did go to college, and Mr. Lang started a movement to get other people to offer similar scholarships. His foundation is responsible for the support of more than 16,000 kids who were able to attend college.
Mr. Lang was a son of Daniel Lang, an immigrant who escaped to America from Hungary, where he had been found guilty of distributing socialist literature.
Mr. Lang died earlier this week. We can draw a number of lessons from him. One is how much of an positive impact rich people can have when they care about other people. Another is how America wastes talent when impoverished kids have no hope. How many of those 61 students would have dropped out or turned to crime if it had not been for Mr. Lang? Why can’t we provide the kind of support to millions of kids now in school that Mr. Lang provided to those kids in P.S. 121?
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