Thousands attended the historic dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Standing in the crowd, wide-eyed and amazed by the significance of this moment, where three young men from Higher M-Pact.

For Derrick, Charles and Darian, this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Not only did the youth participate in a proud moment in history but they also encountered many other first time and memorable experiences – beginning with the airplane flight to Washington.

“I never thought that I would be able to fly anywhere!” Derrick commented to his mentor and chaperone, Tyrone Flowers, on the trip.  Another young man was floored by the elegance of the D.C. hotel the crew stayed in over the weekend.  Tyrone explained the significance of these new experiences for the youth, “These youth we serve, they don’t see themselves on planes, traveling, staying in hotels… they can’t see themselves beyond their current, negative situations.  Opportunities like this give them hope and a chance to start imagining a brighter future for themselves.”

While on the trip, the young men also had a chance to visit other national monuments and historical sites.  An additional highlight of the trip involved a tour of Howard University.  This exposure to higher education is important to the youth involved in Leaders of Tomorrow.

“For almost 100% of the youth in our program, they would be the first in their family to attend college.  The idea of higher education seems like a foreign concept to these youth.  Not only do they not know where to start, but they don’t even know it’s an option.” said Flowers.   “So we put these young men in a new environment. We show them where they can go, what they can be. It’s a powerful experience.”

However, the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument will remain one of the most vivid memories for these young men.  Standing shoulder to shoulder, in a sea of people from all over the world, the Leaders of Tomorrow were witness to a beautiful moment in American history.  The young men listened intensely as President Obama took the podium.

“As we were standing there, watching there ceremony and listening to President Obama speak, one of the youth looked over at me and told me told me how inspired they were by Dr. King’s legacy and President Obama’s position”, said Flowers.  “He said, ‘Mr. Flowers, Dr. King was a leader for his community in the past and President Obama is the leader today.  Now it’s my turn to step up even more and be a future leader for mine.”