On May 6, 2014, the Eugenio María de Hostos Community College family welcomed Amanda Washington, the great-great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, to our campus.

A motivational speaker and teacher as well as a student of educational policy at Teachers College Columbia University, Washington addressed the Hostos community, including the Health, Education and Research Occupations (H.E.R.O.) High School students, on a subject that was dear to the heart of her famous great-great-grandfather: the great importance of education.

The most famous African-American of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker T. Washington had unprecedented influence throughout the nation because he controlled the flow of funds to Black schools and colleges.

Amanda Washington spoke about the educational pioneer having been born in slavery on a small farm in backcountry Virginia. Determined to have an education, he traveled hundreds of miles under great hardship to reach Hampton Institute.

In September 1895, Washington was recognized as a national hero. Invited to speak at the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Washington stated publicly that he could accept disfranchisement and social segregation as long as Whites would allow Blacks to make economic progress, have educational opportunity, and receive justice in the courts.

Interspersing her remarks with short workshops, Amanda Washington stressed the importance of developing self-confidence, pursuing one’s dreams, and not being discouraged by naysayers.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.

Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and five certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY's four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.