Making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate is a true sign of Excellence. Such is the case with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence organization, which recently held their annual scholarship breakfast in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. virtually. –By Brian Hurlburt, Host and Founder, Magnifying Excellence Podcast.
The 5000 Role Models of Excellence project has 105 chapters across Miami-Dade County public schools. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it was all about the seniors as they take their next steps forward. Congresswoman Fredricka Wilson created the program with the intent of having strong role models intervene in the lives of at-risk students.
Among the speakers in 2021 was Kamala Harris, the newly-elected vice president.
“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves and know yourself to be whatever you want. If you want to be a future president, or CEO, Nobel laureate, a teacher, a doctor, a pastor, or a community leader, see yourselves as the very best of our country because that’s who you are,” Harris said.
From miami.cbslocal.com:
“A concept, so that I can reach out to the African American boys in this community and change their path to prison,” Wilson said.
After having her friends mentor the students and give them direction, Wilson said the change in their demeanor was almost instant.
“I told them we have to do something because this has to stop. So we held hands in the auditorium, it was about 200 men and one of them prayed. When he finished praying he said ‘God, please don’t let us fail. Please don’t let us fail’ and everybody took up the chorus ‘please don’t let us fail’, and we just kept repeating that. And God was listening because here we are, 25 years later,” she said.
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