Booker T. Washington

[The Story Teller]

Booker T. Washington​

“You must understand the troubles of that man farthest down before you can help him.”
—Booker T. Washington​

America has long been a country of opportunity, but for African Americans in the South, there have been special problems to overcome. One person who provided a model for education and advancement of his people was Booker T. Washington. Born a slave in 1856, his family walked to West Virginia when he was nine, and he began attending school at night after working in a mine during the day. Adopting the name Washington, he left home at age sixteen to attend school in Hampton, Virginia. When he graduated, he was given a place on the faculty.
Sometime later, in Tuskegee, Alabama, a white merchant and a black workman joined together to establish a school for African Americans. After securing $2,000 in funding from the state legislature, they invited Washington to become the school’s principal. When he arrived, Washington asked to be shown the school. “There isn’t any—yet,” he was told. The school opened in a borrowed church, and Washington began searching for money. People from both races contributed to the school, and many white Southerners were greatly impressed by Washington’s sincerity, intelligence, and commitment. He called on people to “invest in the Negro race” and was an able spokesman for the cause. When he approached railway magnate Collis Huntington for a donation and he was offered just $2, Washington persisted. As a result, Huntington gave $50,000 to the school and later donated the money for a new building, which was named Huntington Hall.
Consider This: Gentle and persistent persuasion is often the best method for bringing a person to your way of thinking.
Submitted by Richard

 

[brachah]

"Gentle and persistent persuasion"

yes, like the lord is persuading me.