Fred Easter dedicated his days to improving the lives of black people. In many cases, that meant making sure students had access to higher education. Sometimes that meant supporting the Food He Desserts grocery store or joining a podcast with members of his historic class at Harvard.
“Fred clearly has a legacy that has touched the lives of probably thousands of people he touched. When I said I touched, he didn’t just touch. It was really influential,” said Joe Nathan, a former student who kept in touch with him.
Over the course of 80 years, Easter has held many titles. Especially instructors, deans, coaches, fathers, etc. Prior to his Lake Easter, 81, he died in September, about three years after being diagnosed with cancer. A memorial service will be held at Carlton’s College Chapel on November 5.
Easter’s intelligence was evident from an early age. He skipped his second grade and graduated from high school at age 16. While a counselor encouraged him to get a job, Easter’s parents were determined to help him become the first close relative to attend college.
Easter was one of the first black students to attend a prep school called Gunnery, and then attended a wall-breaking class at Harvard University. While elite schools had in the past accepted one or two black students at a time, Easter said he was part of a group of eighteen black men and began studying there in 1959. rice field.
“It was a lot of pressure. We were 18 guys representing all kinds of black people,” said classmate Kent Garrett. The young man who changed Harvard forever.”
Those who knew Easter said his years at Harvard helped shape his views on education. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he led a vital division of A Better Chance, a program that helped high-achieving children of color attend quality schools. He held various positions at Carleton College, including associate dean, black his activities director, and basketball coach for one season.
Easter believed that education could change people’s lives, but “it had to be the right kind of education,” said Nathan. prompted them to think critically: How could occupying the Carleton College building shorten the Vietnam War by a day or an hour?
“Fred’s immense legacy is: Taking constructive action, building alliances and making a difference. Never settle for symbolic gestures,” Nathan said.
Easter sought to create a supportive environment for both his own daughters and the many students he worked with over the years. When he did, Easter told him about his own struggles at Harvard and how he took time off and came back later to graduate.
“Knowing that even if you get knocked down, you can pick yourself up, shatter yourself, and stay in the game was very motivating. It was very inspiring for me.” lesson with.
Over the years, Easter has also worked on a program to help students interested in math, engineering, and science, and another program to train black students to work with computers. For years, he headed The City Inc., a non-profit organization that ran alternative schools, offered after-school programs, and provided social welfare programs.
Simpson, who served on the group’s board of directors, said, “His dedication to children, his passion for what he was doing, was very strong.
Easter volunteered for political campaigns. He frequently participated in podcasts with Garrett. He also wanted to work on a project to open a grocery store in Food His Desserts.
“In some ways, I think just necessity kept him going,” said his daughter, Alison Easter. “He just looked at the world and saw what was going on.” , was trying to make it better.
Comments
Post a Comment