This honorary degree from the State University of New York acts as a testament to the immense work my grandfather accomplished in the field of education for African-Americans and other minorities within the United States. At home in Detroit during the 1970s and 1980s, he acted as the president of Wayne County Community College where, during his 10 years, the school had transformed from an evening school to one of the five largest community colleges in the nation. By 1988, my grandfather moved  to Washington D.C. to as as the Director of Minority Concerns and later as senior scholar. The need to constantly enhance not only his own capacity to learn and grow, but to assist in securing that right for those who could not sent him around the country and this degree gives notice to that. It signifies the dedication my grandfather had to both his local community and nation as a whole in improving the lives of those who had not been given the opportunity before. My grandfather's migration in the U.S. from Detroit to D.C. is imbedded in a desire to uplift and serve his community and speaks volumes to his character as an educator, African-American, and a citizen of the United States. 

– David Wilson

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant