Emphasis Preaching Journal

Booker T. Washington probably did more to elevate the lives of black people than anyone else in American history. On the campus of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, the school that he founded, there is a statue of him with the inscription, "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry." He was born April 5, 1856, in a one-room cabin on a plantation in Virginia. He spoke to thousands of people, black and white, throughout the South, urging support for the education of black people. He was able to convince many rich white people to support his projects.

In addition to the Institute, he was instrumental in establishing more than 5,000 rural schools for black students. No student was ever turned away because of lack of money, but every student was required to work and to learn a trade or skill. His motto was, "Each one should remember there is a chance for him, and the more difficulties he has to overcome, the greater can be his success."

The book of Proverbs goes even further in its advice. It is not just education that brings success and blessings in life. It is wisdom given by God. It is the wisdom of God from the beginning of time. It is the wisdom of God found in his holy Word. And it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of this wisdom.