Today, while reading a New York Times article, I learned that a child drops out of high school every 26 seconds an that the United States has dropped to #12 among developed nations in 25-34 year olds with a college degree. Aside from being shocked, I was embarrassed.
However, I also finished reading Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough. While the stories of the students and their parents really stick with me, the thing that I remember first and foremost, is the Promise Academy's creed:
I promise to always dream out loud, To lift my head and be proud. And never end up a face in the crowd.
I thought about the first eighth grade class reciting that together at their graduation and imagined what their faces looked like as they lived through that moment. And I though that it was a huge promise not only to themselves but to the people who had witnessed their journey. Sure, the path was strewn with thorns and forked paths, but at some point, someone had to believe that they would make it to that point despite the challenges and despite the odds stacked against them.
What made Geoffrey Canada believe that he could, in essence, save a generation of poor children in Harlem is exactly what we need now. With the American economy in less than optimal shape and nations racing to be the best in the world, there is no excuse for not believing in whatever it takes to succeed. And with the Harlem Children's Zone reaching the successes that it has reached, there's no reason why we shouldn't believe that big dreams can come true with the proper leaders, plan and drive to make it happen.
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