Last week, the principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy took the stage in front of her 195 students and made an announcement: a fundraiser to take Brooklyn students to Harvard, a worthwhile trip for people like them who are never released from a neighborhood characterized by a high crime rate. One way to show them that the alternative to crime is culture. And it is thanks to one of her students that her fundraising exceeded a million dollars within a few days
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Last week, the school principal Mott Hall Bridges Academy she took the stage in front of her 195 students and made an announcement: a fundraiser to bring the students of Brooklyn to Harvard, a useful trip for those like them who have never left a neighborhood characterized by a high crime rate. One way to show them that the alternative to crime is culture. And it is thanks to one of his students that his fundraising exceeded a million dollars in a few days.
It all started with a chance meeting between 13-year-old Vidal Chastanet and young photographer Brandon Stanton. The latter has been documenting the stories of the New Yorkers he meets walking the streets, asking them what they do in life. And the answers are often heartwarming, sometimes funny and sometimes very profound. Still others are one concealed call for help. On January 20 of this year, Brandon immortalized Vidal walking in Brownsville, Brooklyn. It is one of the areas with the highest crime rate in the city. Vidal attends Mott Hall Bridges Academy and told the photographer that Principal Lopez was his example of his life.
Amazed, the photographer asked the boy: "How did she influence you?" And the answer was, “When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us into her office and explains how society was built around us. And she tells us that every time someone fails in school, a new cell is built ”, trying to convey to the children the value of education.
Struck by Vidal's story, Brandon he went to visit the school and found that Ms. Lopez was trying to raise money for a class trip to Harvard. So he decided to help her. She created a crowdfunding page on Indiegogo and began photographing Brownville students and staff to raise awareness of the story.
Since its creation, in less than a week, the initiative has picked up over a million dollars (at the time of writing it is 1,18 million).
explains Principal Lopez that the school is a neighborhood that doesn't necessarily expect a lot from kids. ”We don't call kids 'the students,' but 'the scholars.' Our color is purple. Our scholars use purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even though they live in a council house, they are part of a royal lineage, ”she says. "They belong to a group of people who invented astronomy and mathematics."
And with that in mind, Stanton and Lopez decided to start the fundraiser on Indiegogo to take the kids on trips to Harvard.
The funds already raised will allow young people scholars of Brownville to visit Harvard every year for 10 years. The money will also be used to fund summer learning programs and annual scholarships for students who want to go to college after school.
And the first recipient of the scholarship could only be little Vidal Chastanet.
Francesca Mancuso
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