In 1977, upon admission to the Missouri Bar, one of my first actions, outside of my job as a regional attorney at the U. S. Department of Labor, was to become a "Volunteer in Education" in the Kansas City Missouri Public Schools.
I chose Lincoln High School, because of its distinguished history as Kansas City's first black high school, and because it was still over 90% black, when I went there, and was "at risk" according to some dubious nabobs.
I went one day per week for one hour, in one class, that of Mrs. Katherine Smith, a delightful lady, who was thrilled to have me in her room inspiring her students.
While I was theoretically supposed to be talking about juvenile justice issues, I knew in my heart what they craved.
That was love, hope, black historical information, and relevant economic, and political knowledge; plus, information on how I became a lawyer, and how they might pursue their own dreams.
I told those young people, who were nearly my peers, age-wise, that they needed to acquire some "utilizable skills," of whatever kind they chose and liked. Then to become the best at those utilizable skills on earth. Be the best. There is always room for the best!
Along the way, I brought in stockbrokers, commodities dealers, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and others to expose them to the wide assortment of opportunities available to them. And what it took to become one. The kids ate it up!
There was a three-way lovefest between me and the kids and Mrs. Smith. It was palpable, tangible, real. They felt it. I felt it. We felt it.
Over the years, I have heard from several of those students, since leaving. One young lady joined me later in the U.S.Attorney's Office, where I was, then, an Assistant; she was a secretary and a great one. One young man was hired by an international conglomerate and was involved with French railroads and shipping; and another one became a Senior Vice President for a nationally known securities investment firm. These latter two also sent me some business!
Lastly, one young man who had called out to me from inside of a gas mask filled with marijuana smoke at a concert, "Mr. Coleman! Mr. Coleman!" He became the undisclosed object of a special lecture on drugs. That young man, I am told, later acquired a degree in chemistry from a Missouri university, appropriately!
This anecdote was activated by my reading today that "the diffusion of knowledge and skills" is the antidote for class based economic inequality in Piketty's best seller "Capital in the Twenty-First Century."
That brought to mind my 1977 experience at Lincoln, just shared, where I had already done just that! Praise God!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
LINCOLN HIGH 1977
LINCOLN HIGH 1977
In 1977, upon admission to the Missouri Bar, one of my first actions, outside of my job as a regional attorney at the U. S. Department of Labor, was to become a "Volunteer in Education" in the Kansas City Missouri Public Schools.
I chose Lincoln High School, because of its distinguished history as Kansas City's first black high school, and because it was still over 90% black, when I went there, and was "at risk" according to some dubious nabobs.
I went one day per week for one hour, in one class, that of Mrs. Katherine Smith, a delightful lady, who was thrilled to have me in her room inspiring her students.
While I was theoretically supposed to be talking about juvenile justice issues, I knew in my heart what they craved.
That was love, hope, black historical information, and relevant economic, and political knowledge; plus, information on how I became a lawyer, and how they might pursue their own dreams.
I told those young people, who were nearly my peers, age-wise, that they needed to acquire some "utilizable skills," of whatever kind they chose and liked. Then to become the best at those utilizable skills on earth. Be the best. There is always room for the best!
Along the way, I brought in stockbrokers, commodities dealers, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and others to expose them to the wide assortment of opportunities available to them. And what it took to become one. The kids ate it up!
There was a three-way lovefest between me and the kids and Mrs. Smith. It was palpable, tangible, real. They felt it. I felt it. We felt it.
Over the years, I have heard from several of those students, since leaving. One young lady joined me later in the U.S.Attorney's Office, where I was, then, an Assistant; she was a secretary and a great one. One young man was hired by an international conglomerate and was involved with French railroads and shipping; and another one became a Senior Vice President for a nationally known securities investment firm. These latter two also sent me some business!
Lastly, one young man who had called out to me from inside of a gas mask filled with marijuana smoke at a concert, "Mr. Coleman! Mr. Coleman!" He became the undisclosed object of a special lecture on drugs. That young man, I am told, later acquired a degree in chemistry from a Missouri university, appropriately!
This anecdote was activated by my reading today that "the diffusion of knowledge and skills" is the antidote for class based economic inequality in Piketty's best seller "Capital in the Twenty-First Century."
That brought to mind my 1977 experience at Lincoln, just shared, where I had already done just that! Praise God!
In 1977, upon admission to the Missouri Bar, one of my first actions, outside of my job as a regional attorney at the U. S. Department of Labor, was to become a "Volunteer in Education" in the Kansas City Missouri Public Schools.
I chose Lincoln High School, because of its distinguished history as Kansas City's first black high school, and because it was still over 90% black, when I went there, and was "at risk" according to some dubious nabobs.
I went one day per week for one hour, in one class, that of Mrs. Katherine Smith, a delightful lady, who was thrilled to have me in her room inspiring her students.
While I was theoretically supposed to be talking about juvenile justice issues, I knew in my heart what they craved.
That was love, hope, black historical information, and relevant economic, and political knowledge; plus, information on how I became a lawyer, and how they might pursue their own dreams.
I told those young people, who were nearly my peers, age-wise, that they needed to acquire some "utilizable skills," of whatever kind they chose and liked. Then to become the best at those utilizable skills on earth. Be the best. There is always room for the best!
Along the way, I brought in stockbrokers, commodities dealers, real estate brokers, insurance brokers, and others to expose them to the wide assortment of opportunities available to them. And what it took to become one. The kids ate it up!
There was a three-way lovefest between me and the kids and Mrs. Smith. It was palpable, tangible, real. They felt it. I felt it. We felt it.
Over the years, I have heard from several of those students, since leaving. One young lady joined me later in the U.S.Attorney's Office, where I was, then, an Assistant; she was a secretary and a great one. One young man was hired by an international conglomerate and was involved with French railroads and shipping; and another one became a Senior Vice President for a nationally known securities investment firm. These latter two also sent me some business!
Lastly, one young man who had called out to me from inside of a gas mask filled with marijuana smoke at a concert, "Mr. Coleman! Mr. Coleman!" He became the undisclosed object of a special lecture on drugs. That young man, I am told, later acquired a degree in chemistry from a Missouri university, appropriately!
This anecdote was activated by my reading today that "the diffusion of knowledge and skills" is the antidote for class based economic inequality in Piketty's best seller "Capital in the Twenty-First Century."
That brought to mind my 1977 experience at Lincoln, just shared, where I had already done just that! Praise God!