In the News / Jefferson Award

Jacqueline Rushing, founder and Executive Director of San Francisco Bay Area's Young Scholars Program, has been compared to Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist who led slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

Through the Young Scholars, a college preparatory and leadership development program, Rushing is helping African American students overcome the legacy of racism and poverty. For ten years, the program has tutored, mentored and provided cultural enrichment and scholarship assistance to help students get into college -- black colleges including Texas Southern and Fisk University, and Ivy League schools such as Cornell and Yale.

"Harriet Tubman is alive in me," Rushing said. "Just like Harriet, I am not taking any prisoners; we do not turn back. We are the new Underground Railroad. I'm traveling to freedom land, which I consider the colleges and universities throughout the United States. True freedom comes from an educated mind."

The program is not limited to Bay Area residents and has worked with students in Fresno and Los Angeles. In order to qualify, students must have a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average.

Each year, through the Young Scholars Program, more than 150 students have the opportunity to travel to various parts of the United States. In 1996, Rushing established the Civil Rights Monument/Historical Black College and University Tour. Each year, Rushing accompanies 42 students to 15 colleges and universities for an identity-affirming experience. The idea is to explore African American history by getting a close-up look at 10 civil rights monuments and sites. Rushing also conducts college tours nationwide -- including to some Ivy League schools.

Young Scholars holds workshops for parents who are getting ready to send their children to college, and other workshops that show students how to fill out college scholarship applications.

"We have a mentoring program called WISE girls -- Women Intelligent Strong and Empowered for success," Rushing said. "The WISE girls learn how to change the oil in a car and change a tire. They go to the police academy for self-defense lessons. They learn all sorts of things about beauty and nutrition and handling their finances. We have the BMAD program -- Brothers Making a Difference. These boys are taught how to sew a button, to wash and iron their clothes. We want our kids to be self-sufficient."

One of Rushing's financial goals is to provide full college scholarships for her students.

"I am praying some organization or foundation will want to support our program," she said. "We operate on a shoestring budget with great volunteers, but we need funding to enable us to increase capacity to serve more youth while increasing the quality of our services. We do a fantastic job, but we need help."