One local non profit is making a change in communities across Colorado. The Sachs Foundation was first introduced here in Colorado Springs in the 1930’s to provide equal opportunities for black students across the state of Colorado. They are helping to close the equity gap at a time when racial educational equity programs are being rolled back nationwide.
Over the past year the foundation has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships and financial aid. One of this year’s 50 scholars is a Palmer high school graduate, Abdimalik Hussein. Abdimalik talked with me about how important it is to invest in talent, “Most of the time I was the only male back student and you know there’s very few of us in general and the diploma program. We need to close that equity gap.”
Abdimalik knew from a young age that education was his path to success. Born in Somalia where a good education is out of reach for most children, Abdimalik was three years old when his family moved to the US looking for more opportunities. While at North middle school he was chosen for a mentorship program through the Sachs foundation.
“Colorado Springs has some of the most segregated schools in the country and schools are more segregated now than they were 40 years ago.” I sat down with Ben Ralston who is the CEO for the Sachs foundation. He grew up in Colorado Springs in a predominantly white school. He saw the need for change and has been on a mission to help. Ralston tells me, “I wanted to come back to the community and invest in exceptionally talented kids who may not have opportunities if they didn’t find that investment.”
A new report from researchers at Stanford and the University of Southern California shows that racial and economic segregation among schools has grown 64 percent in large school districts over the past three decades — an increase that appears to be driven in part by policies favoring school choice over integration. As colleges pull back on racial equity programs, the role of organizations like the Sachs Foundation become more vital.
Since 1931 the Sachs foundation has awarded more than $45 million to more than 3,200 Black scholars who are spread across the world but many came from here in Colorado Springs.
The mission of the Sachs foundation can be seen in the people they’ve helped, 95 percent of which pursue a higher education. Thousands of their scholars have gone on to be judges, med school professors and even the very successful local artist like Floyd Tunson whose famous pieces paint the halls of their building. Abdimalik explains,“Culture and identity in my roots to something that’s very important to who I am.”
Knowing that in his home country of Somalia education equity and access is practically nonexistent, Abdimalik wanted to make a change. He and his parents launched Give2Dev in 2021 to raise enough money to hire a teacher for children in his home country saying, “We started with 15 or 20 students who were learning under a tree. “
Just recently the non-profit built a school and added another teacher as the number of students has more than doubled, “ To make an impact like that on these kids that otherwise we’re not have had the potential will not have been able to make the have the opportunity because you never know if they don’t even get a chance, you never know what they can do,” explains Abdimalik.
They can look to Abdimalik as a role model as he gets ready to pursue a degree in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall with an eye toward eventually becoming a neurosurgeon. Ralston goes on to say, “He is going to lead in the healthcare industry where black students don’t always find representation and he is also giving back to his community and where he grew up. He is both a leader, and somebody who serves the community, which is exactly what the Sachs foundation was intended to support.”
The Sachs Foundation Scholarship is open to Black Colorado residents each year from January 1 to March 15.
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