"You must understand the troubles of that man farthest down before you can help him." Booker T. Washington

America has been a country of opportunity, but for the black person of the South, there have been special problems to overcome. One person who provided a model for education and advancement for black people is Booker T. Washington. Born a slave in 1856, his family walked to West Virginia when he was nine, and he began school at night after working in a mine during the day. Adopting the name Washington, he left home at age 16 to attend school in Hampton, Virginia. When he graduated, he was given a place on the faculty.

In Tuskegee, Alabama a white merchant and a black workman joined together to start a school for blacks. After securing $2000 in funding from the legislature, they invited Washington to be the principal. When he arrived, he asked to be shown the school. "There isn't any - yet," he was told. The school began in a borrowed church, and Washington began searching for money. Both races contributed to the school, and the white population of the South was often taken aback by the sincerity, intelligence and commitment of Washington. He called on people to "invest in the negro race," and he was an able spokesman for the task. Approaching the railway magnate Collis Huntington for a donation, he was offered two dollars. Washington persisted, and 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.