On emancipation, dire poverty disqualified him for regular schooling. But he worked towards the goal of an education at every opportunity. He became an educator and in 1901 his memoir Up from Slavery: An Autobiography first published.
Mr. Washington was a very practical man. He prioritized the need for economic stability ahead of codifying rights.
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I would like to share some of the wisdom of Booker T. Washington, who rose from slave hood to one of the most influential leaders in education of politics of his day. "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed."
"No race can prosper 'til it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem."
"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows: it is what the man or woman is able to do that counts."
Very good Lydia!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the words I read yesterday attributed to MLK. He said something like if you are a street sweeper then you sweep those streets as if you were painting a masterpiece! Do the best job you can possibly do, no matter the job.
B.T. Washington was so right about tilling the fields or writing a poem as there should be dignity in both.
Thanks for sharing!
XO Trisha
Thanks L, that was interesting.zo
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