Remembering Colin Powell
Dear Friend of Global Academies:
America has lost a true leader with the passing of Secretary Colin Powell. He was a man of great integrity and deep personal conviction who was not beholden to party politics. Instead, Secretary Powell was beholden to what he believed to be right.
Colin Powell had served under President Ronald Reagan as the nation’s first Black National Security Advisor, President George H.W. Bush as the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and President George W. Bush as the first Black Secretary of State. Powell’s experiences, which are so much more than I am able to include here, send a message to young Black people that the color barrier has been further broken and that they can achieve anything they put their minds to if they do not compromise their integrity.
Always one to put America first, Secretary Powell sidestepped his old friend Senator John McCain to instead endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Think about the significance of his endorsement: Powell was the first Secretary of State in the outgoing Republican presidential administration. He enjoyed a close decades-long friendship with the Republican presidential nominee and war hero, Senator McCain. Endorsing a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois was a high-stakes move that made little sense to political insiders. Knowing his endorsement meant little in terms of actual votes, Powell nonetheless chose to do what true leaders do best: lead. He led with his heart and his conscience, setting aside party loyalties and political favoritism.
Global Leadership Academy scholars are taught from day one that they are the future leaders of the world. Whether their leadership roles will be Secretary of State, President of the United States, or in businesses they start, we expect our scholars will lead with the same integrity that drove Secretary Powell. Trends come and go, political parties rise and fall, and heroes fade forgotten into the future. What matters most is that we live our lives in honesty, guided by integrity and that we serve as role models to the next generation. We might not have the far-reaching influence Secretary Powell had, but we all have the ability to influence those who we were given to teach.
In the end, our work, our politics, and our missions mean little if they did not help others or contribute to advancing humankind. Let’s set out to do all we can in our capacities and perform our best with all sincerity. Flags might not fly half-staff at our passing, but on the other side, we will be sure to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Yours Truly,
Dr. Booker