Stories of Hope

  • Unbroken Hopes

    Betty (Robinson) Schwartz was born in Illinois in 1911. Her life changed one day as she rushed to get on a commuter train. As fate would have it, her science teacher saw her mad dash and marveled at her speed. He was also the high school track coach, and what he saw...

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  • Hopeful Adventures

    Barbara Hillary’s mother moved from South Carolina to New York City to give her and her sister better-educated opportunities. Her father died when she was only one year old. Her mother cleaned homes and strongly encouraged her daughters to get a good education....

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  • From Tennis to a Passion of Service

    Andrea was born in Chicago in 1965. Growing up, she was a rising star as a tennis player. In high school, she was the top-ranked player in America for those under the age of 18. At age 15, she was the youngest player ever to be qualified to compete at Wimbledon at...

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  • Jumping High

    Alice (Coachman) Davis was born in 1923 in Georgia. She had 9 siblings. Early on, she had an athletic talent that made her special. Her talent was held back due to a lack of access to athletic facilities for African Americans. At the time women were discouraged from...

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  • The Peggy Martin Rose

    In 2004, Peggy Martin received a rose cutting from a friend’s garden in New Orleans. It was thornless with showy pink flowers. It was a rapidly growing rose that bloomed from spring until the fall. No one has ever identified the species of the rose, but Peggy and the...

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  • Right Hand Artistry

    Henrietta was born in 1907 in Delaware. She was the oldest child in the family. Her father, Convers, was a noted illustrator of books (e.g., Treasure Island), magazines (e.g., Saturday Evening Post), and corporate advertisements (e.g., Coke-Cola). He always wanted to...

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  • Over a Barrell

    Annie Taylor was born in 1838 in New York. Her father died when she was 12 and left the family well off. Annie was able to earn a teaching degree. She married soon after she earned her degree. Her child died as an infant and her husband died soon after. Annie began to...

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  • The Golden Thirteen: Collective Intelligence at Work

    The U.S. Navy had a long history of limiting the roles of African Americans to positions where they would not come into contact with White sailors. When President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order prohibiting ethnic and racial discrimination in the defense...

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  • Peer-to-Peer Hope

    Bill Wilson was born in Vermont in 1895. He and his sister were abandoned by their parents when they were young children. He struggled growing up but eventually became captain of his high school football team and principal violinist in the school’s orchestra. When his...

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  • A Body of Sound

    It was the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, and the torch was entering the stadium. As the torch relay team circled the stadium, they were accompanied by a percussionist, Evelyn Glennie. Please watch a short clip here Evelyn Glennie Olympic Games 2012 -...

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