We live in strange times; indeed we do. And I
confess that I’m struggling today to find anything in my life or the world in
general to truly appreciate.
But it’s the day the United States has assigned
to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., which reminds me of the mission of historically
black colleges and universities (HBCU)—institutions that educated the sons and
daughters (and their sons and daughters, down to this day) of men and women
brought to this country as slaves. For generations, they’ve enriched our nation
by providing that education that would otherwise have been denied citizens on
account of the color of their skin.
A couple of weeks ago I learned that one of
these schools—one of only two serving black women—is in danger of losing
accreditation because of finances. Bennett College, a small liberal arts
college in Greensboro, S.C., was founded in 1873, and became single-sex in
1926. Its students are known as Bennett Belles, and (from what I’ve read) display
extraordinary sisterhood. They have until 1 February to raise $5M.
I heard the
story on NPR, found the page
on their website where you can donate and whipped out my AMEX numbers. I’m
an alumna of another women’s college; I felt I owed it to them. My contribution
is small, but I’m hoping that others have given as well, that they’ll reach
their goal and that they’ll find a way to continue their mission into the next
century.
So this is what I’m grateful for today—that I
was able to play a small part in helping keep Bennett College going. If you’re
able, I hope you’ll do the same.
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