Born into slavery on a Virginia plantation, Booker T. Washington’s relentless pursuit of an education would eventually bring him such renown that he would become the first Black American ever invited to a private dinner at the White House. Surrounded by bigotry, his advancement looked by what seemed overwhelming obstacles at every turn, his superhuman discipline, relentless persistence and willingness to work not only earned himself a first-rate education; his attitude had been so impressive, and his achievements so notable, that he was offered the position of Director of the Tuskegee Institute, the first source of higher education for blacks in the deep south. He arrived at Tuskegee to discover that there was no Tuskegee Institute: no buildings, no property and no staff. Through sheer force of character, he found a way to to raise a magnificent brick structure on the ground of a formerly abandoned plantation, and would start a partnership that would eventually be responsible for over five thousand individual school buildings for black students all across the South. His message of hard work, self-reliance, good will and personal discipline won him the respect, admiration and assistance of the same Southern Whites that had once owned him as property, and his example of self-respect and friendly cooperation is one we could use very much today.

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