For those of you who haven’t heard of Humans of New York, it is a photo blog by photographer Brandon Stanton, capturing the stories behind residents of one of the greatest cities on earth. Whilst many of his photos and captions are moving, this particular photo of a young man named Vidal, taken on the 19th of January has created real change for the Mott Hall Bridges Academy of Brownville, New York City.
“Who’s influenced you the most in your life?”“My principal, Ms. Lopez.””How has she influenced you?””When we get in trouble, she doesn’t suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.”
This photograph served to remind people that everyone’s lives and everyone’s battles are different and that the ways in which people live may not be their choice. Vidal’s earnestness and his principal’s care for all her students showed the world that while they may live in the crime central of New York City, where or how you live does not define you. Due to the popularity of this post Mr Stanton later interviewed Vidal’s principal Ms Lopez and then after that other teachers and students at their academy.
A couple days back, I posted the portrait of a young man who described an influential principal in his life by the name of Ms. Lopez. Yesterday I was fortunate to meet Ms. Lopez at her school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy.“This is a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily expect much from our children, so at Mott Hall Bridges Academy we set our expectations very high. We don’t call the children ‘students,’ we call them ‘scholars.’ Our color is purple. Our scholars wear purple and so do our staff. Because purple is the color of royalty. I want my scholars to know that even if they live in a housing project, they are part of a royal lineage going back to great African kings and queens. They belong to a group of individuals who invented astronomy and math. And they belong to a group of individuals who have endured so much history and still overcome. When you tell people you’re from Brownsville, their face cringes up. But there are children here that need to know that they are expected to succeed.”
Brandon Stanton changed the world, for with (at the time of writing) 1,083,0315 likes and 146,197 shares on Facebook, a single snapshot of a young man’s story has transcended the screen behind which we all sit.
This eye opening series of posts led to an outpouring of help from people around the world who suddenly saw regular citizens where they had been too scared to go and look before. They realised that if each of them could do something, then perhaps they could change the lives of good people like Vidal, Ms Lopez and the rest of the people at the Mott Hall Bridges Academy.
So, Stanton created a page to bridge the gap between those who may be in need of support and those who wanted to give it. This page raised $1,419,309 from more than 51,000 donors to fund a full scholarship for a student each year, the first recipient to be Vidal. This money will also fund an annual trip to Harvard University.
Ms Lopez says that “Since many of her scholars have never left New York, she wants them to know what it feels like to stand on the campus of one of the world’s top schools, and know that they belong. She thinks the experience will broaden their horizons and expand their idea of their own potential.”
“Ms. Lopez always said that there was no place her students did not belong. Recently we received an invitation that proved just that,” writes Stanton.
All of this from one photo. Don’t be afraid to tell the world what you want to be heard. Click “share” and spread your message, see how much change you can make.
Image sources:
http://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/timeline
https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/let-s-send-kids-to-harvard