Top Black Student Justin Hudson Gives Shocking Speech on Diversity at Hunter College High School

When Justin Hudson gave his graduation speech at Hunter College High School, he made it one that people will remember for decades. In the speech, Hudson went beyond providing vague advice or encouragement for his classmates. Hudson instead chose to use his opportunity to push his high school school to end a flawed admissions policy that keeps Hunter College High School from developing adequate racial diversity.

"I feel guilt because I don't deserve any of this and neither do any of you," Hudson said in his speech, as reported by Diverseeducation.com. "We received an outstanding education at no charge based solely on our performance on a test we took when we were 11-year-olds or 4-year-olds."

Hunter College High School is a magnet school in New York City for intellectually gifted students. To be admitted to the school, students have to perform well on an exam written by the teachers at the school. Elementary school students who score in the top 10 percent on the state math and English tests are asked to take the exam.

Until recently, individual schools in New York were responsible for making sure their kids knew about the test. Essentially, teachers had to know about the test, know about which students to recommend and connect them to the test through a very personally process. As a result, black and Latino children have often been left out of the pool of those selected to receive the opportunity to apply to Hunter College High School and receive an amazing education for free.

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Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- CREDIT CARDS

Fidelity offers an American Express card that will rebate 2 percent of all purchases to a Fidelity 529. Upromise just launched a Mastercard that will send rebate checks or funnel rebates to a Upromise 529 account or to reduce Sallie Mae educational loans. The new card will rebate at least 1 percent on all purchases, 10 percent on groceries at selected stores, and-if consumers choose-additional rebates on certain gasoline or restaurant purchases. Babymint, Futuretrust, and FreshmanFund offer credit cards that rebate at least 1 percent to any 529 account. The catches: Spenders who carry balances or pay bills late will most likely pay more in interest and fees than they will save for college. Travis Plunkett, spokesman for the Consumer Federation of America, notes that credit card companies are not charities; accordingly, they are probably making more money from their borrowers than they are giving back.

Citibank / American Express

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Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

It's true: Some states, businesses, and colleges are really handing out free cash to help build up parents' college savings accounts. There are a few catches, of course. Nobody should sign up for anything that sounds suspiciously good without doing a little homework. And most of the grants and rebates are comparatively modest: The typical family might reap a few hundred dollars. Few parents will get enough free cash to make up for the average 20-plus percent decline in 529 college savings plans over the past year. Still, those who collect the grants when their children are young or who are diligent about maximizing rebates could generate several extra thousand dollars. Click through to see six sources of free cash, as well as some of the "catches."

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- STATES

In at least nine states, government agencies or charities offer grants for college savings to local residents. Maine, for example, in 2009 started handing out $500 to babies born in the state for whom an adult opens a Maine 529. In states such as Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Utah, the matching grants go only to low- and middle-income families. Louisiana, New Jersey, and a few other states offer different kinds of grants or scholarship programs to encourage savers.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

STATES -- THE CATCHES

Each state has its own deadlines and red tape. Some require parents to fill out long forms early each year, for example. Utah's grants are so new and limited that only 19 families had qualified in the first three months of the program, which started January 1. And the Utah Educational Savings Plan, which awards the money, will stop accepting applications for the year on May 29.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- EMPLOYERS

In 2008, Unum started giving new parents grants of $700.

The catches: Parents have to open a 529 savings account before the baby's first birthday, and the bonus is taxable.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- WEB SITES

Babymint, Littlegrad, Futuretrust, Upromise, and other rebate Web sites will send cash back to shoppers who click through their sites to partner retailers.

The catches: Some of the Web sites make you jump through a few hoops to collect your cash.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- COLLEGES

Several hundred colleges are offering matching grants for parents who sock away college savings. A marketing company, Sage Scholars Inc., has persuaded 230 private colleges to guarantee "Tuition Rewards" scholarships to students from families who invest or shop with Sage's business partners. And 274 private college members of the prepaid Independent 529 plan give parents at least a half-percentage-point discount if they buy tuition for a youngster at today's cost. Dickinson College upped the discount ante last year, adding an extra 4 percent to its inflation discount. That means a family with a 10-year-old who puts about $29,000 in the plan today will have paid a year's tuition in 2017, even though a year's tuition in 2009 is nearly $40,000 and, at the current rate of inflation, will probably reach $60,000 in eight years.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

COLLEGES -- THE CATCHES

Plenty. Both the Independent 529 and Sage Scholars networks of colleges are limited to a few hundred comparatively expensive private colleges. There's no guarantee members' children will apply to or be admitted to the member schools. Both programs require parents to sign up several years before they tap their money. And both cover only tuition, not room, board, books, or any other college-related expenses. Sage members build up Tuition Rewards only by investing or shopping with Sage partners, some of whom charge more for their products and services than competitors not affiliated with the firm. In addition, parents of students who don't attend a member school don't get a penny of the promised scholarships back. Sage rules allow colleges to count "rewards," which average about $1,700 a year, against scholarships they were going to give the student anyway, so students may not really get any extra money. If a student doesn't end up attending a member of the Independent 529 network, parents who withdraw their money can receive no more than 2 percent more than they contributed. (But they are also limited to 2 percent less than they contributed, which makes the prepaid plan comparatively attractive right now, when the stock market is weak.)

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

GET FREE CASH -- RELATIVES & FRIENDS

Freshmanfund.com and Ugift offer electronic tools to make it easier to ask relatives and friends to donate to your college savings account in lieu of, say, a birthday or graduation gift.

The catches: While Freshmanfund will funnel gifts to any 529, Ugift will work only with Upromise 529s. Some relatives and friends might find requests for donations to be, well, tacky. And, let's face it, you might not have many wealthy relatives. Ugift says that half of the birthday or other event donation requests result in total donations of no more than $100.

Six Ways to Get Free Cash for College

Hudson is not the only person to have a problem with the school's policies. Right before the speech, Dr. Eileen Coppola, the school's former principal, resigned after citing tensions over diversity issues. Other students and faculty at Hunter College High School also feel that this admissions process favors whites and Asians over African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics. And numbers don't lie. Only 3 percent of the school's student body is black and 1 percent is Hispanic. Of important note: Almost none of the teachers at the school are minorities. This fact alone would significantly affect "getting the word out" about the secretive admissions process.

Hudson, who is on his way to Columbia University, has left his mark on the school by saying that the road should be made easier in the future for other kids like him to go to Hunter College High School. His speech got the attention of the public and school administrators, and conversations are now beginning that address the diversity problems at his alma mater. "My speech was a personal impression of what I thought," Hudson said (Diverseeducation.com). "It was not said out of anger or hatred toward the school but out of a sense that not enough people were experiencing what I experienced."

It appears that Hudson has made a lasting impact. As African Americans, we know that disparities in public education are some of the root causes that continue to plague our community on an economic level. We applaud Hudson for taking a stand at his exclusive high school so that others may benefit from the excellent education he has received. If more black leaders thought and acted like this young man, we might soon see at least the education playing field become more level in just a few years.

Lawrence Watkins is founder of Great Black Speakers. He is also the owner of speakers' bureaus dedicated to Hispanic speakers and Christian motivational speakers. His book, 'Frame Your Future: 8 Principles to Effectively Focus on the Future and Not Dwell in the Past,' was released this month. If you would like Lawrence's articles delivered directly to your e-mail, please click here.