Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said at a forum on Tuesday, “I would like to share my story and my journey so far, not just to say I'm so great, but to say I'm so blessed.” “Speak,” he taught.
Noting how a faith-inspired education motivates students and prepares them to be humble and committed leaders, Hrabowski told the audience: You will then take the lead as you go and serve in different countries to help the less fortunate. You can never not lead. It's not about being arrogant, it's about you being an example of how we should live our lives. ”
Hrabowski based his remarks on the story of his childhood, where he received a faith-inspired education during the civil rights movement in Alabama. He explained how his learning prepared him for his lifelong service supporting minority pursuits of mathematics and science education.
He said that when he was 12 years old, he heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak in church and was inspired to march to City Hall to demand a better education for black children in the segregated South. I remembered.
“What my parents, my church, and Dr. King want to say is, 'You are all children of God.' And we believe in you. And anything is possible.”
Despite her harrowing experience, Hrabowski, who was spat at by a police chief during a demonstration and then imprisoned with other children for five days in appalling conditions, remained committed to her potential to serve others. He recalled that it was an empowering lesson. By reading the Bible aloud, he felt inspired to protect and comfort younger children in prison.
“When our parents came out of the prison and we looked out the window and our little children were crying, Dr. King said, 'What you do today is… , it will affect children who are not yet born.'
Hrabowski applied this attitude of faith-inspired leadership to his career in education. He had an undying thirst for mathematics, and although none of his classmates seemed to share it, he encouraged others, especially underrepresented groups, to find a love of learning. I was dedicated to helping.
“For the past 60 years, my passion has been to get more children interested in learning and to get more people to not only love math and science, but also love reading and literature. I have made the decision to stick to this.”
Hrabowski observed that there are two groups of Americans: those with dreams that have come true, and those who live “deferred dreams” that will never be fulfilled, even by their children. He argued that the main driver of that disparity was education, and that privileged people could close the gap through service.
“You and I are both privileged. We go out into service to help the least of these people. We know that there are many who grew up in homes where no one valued education, reading, or faith. want.”
He emphasized that leading others requires loving them as children of God and seeing their humanity. As a child, he recalled attending the funerals of some of his black girl friends who were killed in the 2016 attacks.th 1963 Street Baptist Church bombing. There, for the first time, he witnessed a white man crying for black children. The moving scene taught him about the common humanity that unites us all.
He also remembered when his mother called to tell him that the police chief who spat on him years earlier had died. Although Hrabowski still felt resentment toward the man, he was surprised by his mother's sadness over his death. She imparted to him her powerful lesson of choosing love over hate.
“'Free man,' she said, 'we have tried to teach you all your life to put God first and that you are loved, but somehow this person , has lived his life hating because there was no one to teach him that when he was a child. To love people as human beings. He was taught to hate, but he cannot overcome that hatred. was.”
As these experiences have shown him, Hrabowski said true leadership requires treating others with love.
“One of our challenges is to look around and see who doesn't feel comfortable in whatever environment we're in. There are people who don't belong at all. Who are they? How can we draw them in? Because there's something about a smile and genuineness that touches the heart and soul.”
He concluded with the wise words of his mother, a former English teacher, at the end of her life. She told Ms. Hrabowski that because of what she taught, her spirit will live on through her students.
“We are all teachers, whether you are a teacher like me or do other jobs professionally. We all contribute to people's education in different ways.'' . We teach them how to love learning and how to love God. The spirit of giving to others, that's how we continue to live.”