This speech was delivered by Ingrid Saunders Jones, chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation, at the Tougaloo Annual Business Luncheon in Tougaloo, Mississippi. The speech won the IABC Silver Flame award for 2002.

Thank you for that kind introduction, and hello, everyone!

You know, it's not often that an invitation to speak can make you feel humble and proud all at once. It takes a tradition like the Tougaloo College Annual Business Luncheon to do that.

When President Hogan first mentioned this opportunity to me last summer, I knew I would be following in some distinguished footsteps. When you realize that the leaders of some of our nation's most respected organizations - including American Express, Delta Air Lines, General Electric and Disney - have preceded you to this podium, you can't help but feel a little humbled.

I'm also very proud to represent The Coca-Cola Company on such an important occasion. We take our hats off to Dr. Hogan and the entire Tougaloo faculty for the outstanding job you're doing to prepare young people for the world that lies beyond this beautiful campus. And we congratulate those of you who are supporting that work through the generosity of your companies and your own personal involvement.

In my role as chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation, I have an opportunity to meet with educators throughout our nation and in many other countries around the world. And, let me tell you, education works best where it shares a purpose with local and regional business. When town and gown come together to hold hands to improve their communities and their citizens, there's great power in that partnership.

So, I'm very pleased to be here today, where "history is meeting the future" in the midst of such a supportive business community.

Tougaloo's record for achievement is growing, and with the help of its business partners it will continue to grow.

You're already graduating 40 percent of the African-American doctors, dentists and lawyers practicing in the state. Two-thirds of your graduates are going on to graduate and professional schools. And your role in the Jackson Heart Study is making national headlines as a precedent-setting example of collaboration among institutions of higher learning.

But anyone who cared to look closely at the record of Tougaloo and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities would not be surprised by these achievements. Long before they were recognized by the Higher Education Act of 1965, HBCUs were doing great things in pursuit of their mission to serve black, disadvantaged and low-income students.

Secretary of Education Rod Paige paid tribute to HBCUs' noble mission at the National HBCU conference last year in Arlington, Virginia, saying: "There's awesome power in purpose."

But lately we've been hearing some people question the purpose of HBCUs. Some people are wondering if, in a society no longer afflicted by legally mandated segregation that allowed the education system to turn its back on African-American students, they're wondering if HBCUs have served their purpose. The only viable option for thousands of young black Americans for decades, some people are wondering if HBCUs are now only quaint reminders of a best-forgotten era?

But the reality is that black colleges and universities are historical treasures, living reminders of the struggles and successes of African-Americans.

More practically, they're also the potting soil and laboratories that continue to produce an abundance of leaders without whom we would all be much, much poorer.

Can you imagine a world that did not have the benefit of Martin Luther King's sense of social justice, which was honed at Morehouse College?

Can you imagine the state of our educational system if Lincoln University graduate Thurgood Marshall -- the first black Supreme Court Justice - had not successfully argued the landmark 1954 decision for public school integration?

Can you imagine politics in the last half century without the strong voices of Andrew Young, Barbara Jordan, and Alexis Herman … who trace their courage of conviction to Howard, Texas Southern and Xavier?

Can you imagine our sports and entertainment landscape deprived of Morehouse grads Olympian Edwin Moses … Spike Lee … and Samuel L. Jackson?

There is no doubt that HBCUs face some significant challenges today. In particular, those that depend on state funding for much of their livelihood are under intense pressure to compete with better-financed institutions.

But I would argue - and I'd do so as vociferously as anyone on the other side of the debate - that HBCUs are centers of excellence with unique abilities to address African-American needs. I also believe they are critical to economic empowerment.

Admittedly, there's an argument that students like the ones I just mentioned … students with such great potential … would be welcomed to any mainstream college campus today. But would they? Can we be sure?

And how about the students whose success is less predictable? Can we be sure they will find educational opportunities that meet their particular needs?

Among all their other contributions during the last 100 years, that's what HBCUs have done - they've made sure there was a place for anyone who wanted an education at an affordable cost in a nurturing environment.

Long before there was ever a program known as "No Child Left Behind" there were HBCUs making sure no child was left behind.

Long before there was anything known as Affirmative Action, HBCUs were making sure young women like Shantwania Buchanan were not forgotten.

Perhaps you know Shantwania Buchanan … or maybe you've just heard her story. I'm pretty sure she must be a local legend around here by now.

Shantwania Buchanan grew up on the streets of Jackson, not far from here, fending for herself and her younger brother and sister. Somehow she made it to Jim Hill High School in Jackson, which is where she first came to the attention of the people who run the Coca-Cola Scholars program.

The Coca-Cola Scholars program is part of our Company's commitment to higher education.

Since 1986, in cooperation with Coca-Cola bottlers, we've awarded more than $22 million in aid to more than 2,700 Coca-Cola Scholars, which included a $20,000 scholarship to Tougaloo College for Shantwania Buchanan.

Since 1994, we've also been providing scholarships to students who are the first members of their immediate families to go to college. The Coca-Cola Foundation - whose singular focus is the support of higher education - has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships to First Generation students in 31 U.S. states on some 400 college campuses. The program's success led us to expand it to 55 universities in China, where we're supporting students who are the first from their villages to pursue higher education.

Many Coca-Cola Scholars and First Generation Scholarship recipients never dreamed they'd make it anywhere near a college campus, at least not as a student.
College was a distant notion for Shantwania Buchanan, too. A place for the "super smart and super rich," as she used to say.

But Tougaloo - an HBCU charged with serving the educational needs of people like her - made sure Shantwania, a poor black girl who easily could have fallen through the cracks, was not forgotten.

Instead, she became a shining example of the dividends of higher education.

After Tougaloo, from which she graduated magna cum laude, she made it to Brown University on scholarships, financial aid and sheer willpower. She entered Brown as one of five black students out of 80 in her medical school class.

Today, Shantwania is known as Dr. Buchanan to her patients in Chicago.

Shantwania was determined to fulfill her own destiny by making sure she didn't fall through the cracks. By being a participant in what life had to offer herself and her brother and sister. By seeking the kind of power that has lasting purpose in this world - economic empowerment.

Economic empowerment is about being an active participant in the ownership, management and control of the economy and, therefore, your destiny.

The best way to do that - the only sure way I know of - is through education.

Education is the catalyst for the economic empowerment of our nation's disadvantaged populations and underserved communities. It's the bridge that connects a high school kid in Jackson, Mississippi, who's got ambition but almost nothing else, with something called hope.

Education increases a young person's employable skills, making him or her more competitive in the job market.

The numbers don't lie. Without a high school diploma, the median salary for those 18 or older is $17,148. High school grads make $22,502 on average. With a bachelor's degree, you can expect $36,525 … a doctor's degree $56,758 … and a professional degree $65,916.

No nation can have a successful long-term future when a significant percentage of its population is unable to participate in the economy. And education that increases skills and adds to the knowledge base is the cornerstone of any empowerment movement.

Tougaloo and other HBCUs are hard at work empowering the next generation of participants in our nation's economy.

They're also preparing the next generation of leaders. For that -- and now I'm speaking for everyone in this room and for Corporate America -- I say thank-you. Because there is a tremendous need for leaders throughout business, government and the professions today.

Education turns young folks from observers and bystanders into participants.

It gives them a seat at the table where decisions are being made that affect lives and livelihoods.

Education better prepares young people for the ups and downs, the challenges and the critical thinking demanded in today's world.

Education also brings students in contact with other students who are pushing themselves toward something better.

And education brings students within the sphere of influence of inspiring faculty who serve not only as instructors, but also as mentors and role models. For young African American men and women, seeing successful African American men and women in these roles can be life-changing experiences. Fortunately, Tougaloo is also blessed in this regard.

For Tougaloo and other HBCUs, the education you provide sends young people into the world with a deep sense of gratitude and purpose. And as we all know, many will repay that debt many times over.

In short, education strengthens individuals who in turn strengthen communities.

That's the guiding philosophy behind the Coca-Cola Foundation.

That's also what we see happening here at Tougaloo College. You're providing academic and personal development opportunities to a group of students who might not find the same encouragement anywhere else. You're making sure.

And that's why we're delighted to become a partner in your mission. A mission that we believe is as relevant today as it ever was.

I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today. And thank you for everything each of you is doing for our young people.