By Dan Murphy
One of my favorite people in Westchester is Dennis Richmond Jr., who I have been writing about for the past five years. Born and raised in Yonkers, Dennis has made it his mission to have high school students of color aware of, and consider historical black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He is the founder and director of The New York/New Jersey HBCU Initiative
Dennis, who is pursuing his master’s degree in education at Sarah Lawrence College, is teaching a college readiness class at Mt. Vernon High School and spends most of his free time visiting high schools outside of Westchester to promote his HBCU project.
He is also a recipient of a United Negro College Fund scholarship, and was recently sponsored to fly down to attend the 2018 Walton Family Foundation-UNCF-K-12 Education Conference in Washington, D.C. While en route, he met a famous “first couple.”
“I was waiting at Westchester Airport for my flight to D.C. (American Airlines) when Bill Clinton walked by,” explained Dennis. “I got up and approached him but was stopped by the Secret Service. President Clinton asked, ‘Are you going on this flight? We can take the picture on the plane.’
“So, we get on the flight, and who is sitting in the first two seats on the plane but Bill and Hillary Clinton. I was sitting just a few rows behind them and the Secret Service. It was a regular flight to D.C. and I was surprised they were on it with me. I asked someone to take a picture and Hillary suggested, ‘Why not take a real selfie?’
“They were very nice and accommodating to me and a few others on board who wanted their own selfie,” continued Dennis. “Can you imagine how many people they get approached by for pictures and autographs?
“This experience taught me several things. First, I got to see how society looks at people who may seem larger than life, but actually they are just like you and me – on a plane trying to get somewhere.
“Second, when I posted the picture on Facebook and Instagram (1,100 likes on Instagram), I saw how divided we are; some people liked the photo and the Clintons, others were negative. But I got more responses and likes than anything I ever posted.
“Finally, I never would have met the Clintons if it weren’t for my UNCF scholarship and the fact that I attended a HBCU. (He graduated from Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C., Magna Cum Laude, last year). I wouldn’t have received the call to go to D.C. and be on the flight with a (former) president. It’s something I will never forget,” concluded Dennis, who added that many students still do not know about HBCUs.
“When I speak to students about HBCUs, they respond, ‘I know that school.’ But it’s not one school, there are 107 HBCUs, and they are struggling to fill their enrollment because of three reasons:
“State colleges like SUNY and CUNY that now offer the Excelsior Scholarship are a much more cost-efficient way to get a degree. A lot of students still don’t know about HBCUs, and some HBCU’s don’t offer the classes and programs that students want, like a nursing program or fashion, or culinary arts. So, there is work to be done, but we continue to move forward.”
Thanks for sharing your story, Dennis, and thanks for your work to keep HBCUs alive and part of our country’s higher education. It was also interesting to find the Clintons flying on an American Airlines flight to D.C. Many of our readers would think, or guess, that they fly private jets to wherever they want.
Dennis Richmond Jr. can be followed at Facebook at facebook.com/dennisrichmondjr.
