Heart of The Yard
“You have already been paid for.”
In a commencement address given to the Class of 1992 at Spelman College, Maya Angelou spoke of the efforts from the generations that came before them.
“I don’t think we often enough stop to wonder how that Black woman in the 19th century, how she felt…. so she can make enough money so she can send somebody to Spelman. Or that black man… so he can make enough money to send someone to Morehouse… The reason you study, the reason you do the best you can… remembering something of the sweet poignancy of your history in your voice. The reason you do so is to pay for someone who has yet to. You have already been paid for because you have been loved.”
The communities of historically black colleges and universities have always sparked a sense of intrigue, as we’ve seen in the joyous noise of their bands or their large Homecomings. While these may be the only public displays we have seen, we should take the time to go far deeper about the impact and cultural ties of these communities.
These are just some of the stories that come from those that have been paid for and are doing the work to pay for someone else…