Social media has been shook by the news that the 2019 commencement speaker for Morehouse College’s graduation promised to pay off the loans of all the graduating seniors. Yes, you did read that correctly. Billionaire Robert Smith, a Black businessman, investor and philanthropist who is the CEO of private equity firm, Visa Equity Partners, made that promise. To put it in short…he got money. He promised approximately 400 students that he would pay off any outstanding debts they had to the college upon graduation. Imagine the happiness and surprise of the men in the crowd, especially those who were very worried about how they would pay off their loans. Not all the seniors had scholarships or grants coming into, or during, college that took care of their tuition, room, or board. The life of a broke college student is real and so is the fear of how to pay loans for many graduates.
What Mr. Smith did was honorable and will not be forgotten for many many years, especially by the men whose lives he’s changed. In giving the generous gift, Smith stated that he wanted the students to understand that part of receiving this gift is that they will also think about taking care of the people behind them when they are able. His exact words being “I want my class to look at these alumni, these beautiful Morehouse brothers, and let’s make sure every class has the same opportunity going forward, because we are enough to take care of our own community. We are enough to ensure we have all the opportunities of the American Dream.” Mr. Smith shared a very important lesson in lifting as you climb. To give away (invest) millions of dollars is no small feat, no matter how much money you have. He did it with happiness and conviction. He gave without the expectation of receiving anything in return, only wanting to ensure that the recipients pass on the same generosity one day.
Mr. Smith’s actions give us a big lesson in what can happen when people are selfless in their actions and committed to helping others. Many of those men can now, in some ways, have more control over their life paths. The constant weight of loans that need to be paid off hanging over people’s heads can cause people to delay in chasing after their passions. Instead of following their career dreams, they look to whatever job they can. Any of those 400 men can now have the opportunity to make a change because they are debt-free. We need to all have this mindset. Do you know what the world can become of we all just selflessly helped out one another? It is only unfathomable because it has not been done. Any homeless person could be the person that finds a permanent cure for a terrible medical ailment and we would not know because so many of us have the “I am only responsible for myself and only a few people around me” mindset. Of course, not everyone can spare a couple million dollars, but we could all do more. I challenge everyone to do one generous act per month to start. Hopefully, we can get it down to a weekly act of generosity, but this is where we can start for now. We are all one people living in this world. We are each other’s greatest chance to become better. We are a team and are only as strong as our weakest link. It is our duties, to make those links strong.
