COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A nonprofit started in Colorado is striving to close the equity gap at a time when racial education equity programs are being rolled back nationwide.
The Sachs Foundation was first introduced in Colorado Springs in the 1930s to provide equal opportunities for Black students across the state of Colorado. 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 Colorado Springs.
Over the past year alone, 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.
“Most of the time I was the only male Black student and you know there’s very few of us in general and the diploma program. We need to close that equity gap,” Hussein said.
Ben Ralston, the CEO for the Sachs Foundation, grew up in Colorado Springs in a predominantly white school.
“Colorado Springs has some of the most segregated schools in the country and schools are more segregated now than they were 40 years ago,” Ralston said. “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% 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 becomes more vital.
The mission of the Sachs Foundation can be seen in the people they’ve helped, 95% of which pursue a higher education.
Hussein plans to pursue a degree in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall with an eye toward eventually becoming a Neurosurgeon.
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,” Ralston said.
Hussein 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 3 years old when his family moved to the United States looking for more opportunities.
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.
“We started with 15 or 20 students who were learning under a tree,“ Adbimalik said. “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.”
Just recently, Give2Dev built a school and added another teacher as the number of students has more than doubled.
In addition to Adbimalik, thousands of Sachs Foundation's scholars have gone on to be judges, medical school professors and even successful artists like Floyd Tunson. His artwork adorns the halls of the foundation's building.
The Sachs Foundation Scholarship is open to Black Colorado residents each year from Jan. 1 to March 15.