“I Have A Dream” Foundation Announces New Partnership with the Philanthropic Foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York to Empower Underrepresented Youth

New York, NY — April 25, 2025 — The “I Have A Dream” Foundation is proud to announce a new $250,000 grant from the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York, marking the first time the Carnegie has supported the Foundation’s mission to provide long-term educational and career support to youth from underrepresented communities.

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“I Have A Dream” Foundation Names Otis Hackney as New President and CEO

 Hackney Most Recently Served as Chief Education Officer for the City of Philadelphia in the Mayor’s Office of Education and Has Been an “I Have A Dream” Board Member Since 2019  

PHILADELPHIA, PA (October 19, 2022) – Today, the “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHDF) announced the appointment of Otis Hackney as President and CEO, effective November 7, 2022. Mr. Hackney will succeed Eugena Oh, who has served in these roles since October 2017 and will continue to serve the organization as a member of its Board following the leadership transition.

IHDF Zoominar

On Tuesday Feb. 16, the “I Have A Dream” Foundation hosted a Zoominar covering topics including how COVID-19 has impacted some of our nation’s most vulnerable students and how community based organizations like “I Have A Dream” are in a position to help.

View the Full Zoominar

PANEL PARTICIPANTS

Otis Hackney
Moderator
Chief Education Officer for City of Philadelphia; National “I Have A Dream” Foundation Board Member

Grecia Torres
Current Dreamer
9th grader at Skyline Niwot High School, (Boulder County Dreamer)

Olimpia Mejia
Program Director
“I Have A Dream” Foundation – Boulder County Program Director (Grecia’s PD)

Bobby Daniels
Alumnus
“I Have A Dream” Foundation – Atlanta; Tuskegee University 2016; Vanderbilt School of Law 2021

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 2021

                  

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, five “I Have A Dream” Foundation sites across the country are participating in a day of service. Thank you to the Allstate Foundation and Youth Service America for the $1,000 grant that helped make these events possible. By participating in service, Dreamers are provided with the critical social and emotional learning skills needed to succeed and are empowered to become future leaders.

 

At “I Have A Dream” New York, NY, Dreamers and volunteers will be distributing non-perishable food, PPE, and hot meals.

At “I Have A Dream” Los Angeles, California, Dreamers will be writing letters to essential workers. Dreamers will also tour a virtual exhibit of the historic 1963 March on Washington through the world of Minecraft.

At “I Have A Dream” Boulder, Colorado, Dreamers will be learning about Dr. King’s life, work and legacy by reading passages and watching speeches and documentaries.

At “I Have A Dream” Denver, Colorado, Dreamers will pack 100 bag lunches with hand warmers and socks.

At “I Have A Dream” Idaho, Dreamers will be writing 300 postcards to seniors in their community.

My Causes My Cleats
New York Jets’ kicker Braden Mann chooses to recognize the “I Have A Dream” Foundation through the NFL’s My Causes My Cleats initiative!

And he can tackle too!!  Watch Braden save a touchdown here!

Continuity through Crisis

From the “I Have A Dream” Foundation – New York Affiliate:  As the coronavirus shut down NYC in March 2020, our in-person programming became extremely limited due to safety concerns. However, it was at that critical time that our staff really went to work. Reaching out to the IHDF Dreamers and their families, we began to assess issues such as employment status, food security, and family health.

Many of our families had lost their main source of income and some Dreamers contracted coronavirus themselves and/or dealt with the loss of loved ones due to the disease. At the height of the crisis in NYC our staff were busy gathering resources and making referrals to provide relief wherever possible.

As it became clear that the COVID crisis would extend into the spring and summer, IHDF staff set up zoom check-ins with Dreamers to provide social and emotional support as well as academic assistance. Staff used creative means such as online video games to help provide a comfortable environment to engage Dreamers in conversations around difficult topics. And as our 8th grade Dreamers graduated middle school with little other fanfare, we used PPE and social distancing to meet with those Dreamers outdoors and celebrate their accomplishment.

When possible, IHDF has extended our support to the larger community. Through our strong partnership with PS/MS 7 in East Harlem, laptops were provided on loan to help ensure that students have the resources needed for virtual learning. Additionally, IHDF facilitated a donation from IXL Learning to provide online tutoring services free of charge to over 500 students.

The COVID crisis will have lasting impacts for all of us and the “I Have A Dream” Foundation is committed to continuing to provide high quality services through this incredibly challenging time. To that end, we are in the process of instituting two new aspects of programming: the IHDF Food Security Initiative and the the IHDF Social Work Program. Together, these two new services will help ensure that each Dreamer has access to counseling services to help cope with COVID-related trauma and that their families have the resources needed to provide healthy meals on a regular basis.

During this time of uncertainty, each of our interactions with Dreamers provides a reminder of what a privilege it is to work with so many amazing young people and their families.  Moreover, as an organization we cannot put into words the enormity of gratitude to our staff for the work that they have done to maintain relationships and provide crucial services throughout 2020.

Hobbs & Towne

College Signing Day Closeup: Meet Chasel

The “I Have A Dream” Foundation(IHDF) is a leading education nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through a comprehensive program of support that follows the same group of young people (“Dreamers”) from elementary school all the way through college. Founded in 1981 through the vision of Eugene Lang, IHDF operates in 16 cities and has served over 18,000 Dreamers. Learn more at http://www.ihaveadreamfoundation.org.

For College Signing Day, we asked 12th grade Dreamers about the support, successes, and challenges that brought them to this day, and the strategies they plan to use in their transition to college.

Chasel is a Dreamer in the Records-Rainaldi Class of 2018 at the Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation and is a current senior at STRIVE Preparatory Schools – Excel Campus in northwest Denver.

What made your participation in College Signing Day possible?

I credit my participation in College Signing Day from the ability to go to Ms. Dusty (Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation Program Director) and Mr. Justin (Colorado “I Have A Dream” Assistant Program Director) if I ever needed them. They helped me revise the applications and essays I wrote for college admissions and for scholarship opportunities. With the Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation’s support, I felt that I was able to go to them with questions about the application and financial aid process which helped me be successful. The college readiness Saturday sessions held last fall addressed questions I had about future college experiences and how to get into college since I am a first generation college student.

What college will you be attending and what is your intended major?

I was accepted to Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado, where I plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in Animal Science. After graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree, I plan to apply to CSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine. I am committed to becoming a veterinarian so that I can increase the representation of Latinas in the veterinary field. In the future, I plan to mentor young Latinas interested in becoming veterinarians.

What have been any major challenges they have overcome or achievements they would like to highlight on their college journey?

During the summer after her ninth grade year, Chasel successfully completed an internship with University Hills Animal Hospital in Denver, where her responsibilities included administering medications to cats and dogs, sterilizing and packaging medical instruments and surgery utensils, and caring for animals post-surgery. The summers after Chasel’s tenth and eleventh grade years, she interned at Denver Animal Shelter, where she prepared vaccines for veterinary technicians, measured pets’ vital signs, and learned about animal control issues, including abuse and neglect. Chasel was invited to return to Denver Animal Shelter again as an intern this summer after she graduates from high school in May.

In addition to her internship at Denver Animal Shelter last summer, Chasel was also a delegate to the National “I Have a Dream” Foundation Dreamer Conference, a youth leadership and pre-collegiate conference held on the campus of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Students experienced college firsthand,

fine-tuned their career goals, and participated in service-learning and civic engagement activities. Chasel is a natural leader who will thrive in a university environment where she will have opportunities to learn both within and beyond a classroom setting. Furthermore, Chasel was selected from a group of dozens of her peers to receive the 2017 Summit Award, which recognizes a student in our program who has demonstrated leadership in their community while overcoming significant personal obstacles.

What are you excited about for college?

I am very excited for college and the opportunity to experience life away from home. I look forward to being able to do things on my own and so that I can become more independent. I am excited to network and meet new people. I am especially excited to learn more about the Animal Science field of study at Colorado State University.

What concerns do you have related to college? What strategies do they have to overcome them?

One concern I have is the ability to handle being away from home and staying focused on my work in school. I intend to overcome this challenge by continuing the habits I started in high school with balancing school, my participation in extracurricular activities, work, and social life. I also plan to ask my friends and professors for help when I find myself not understanding certain aspects of the class material.

What advice would you share with a younger Dreamer about getting to where you are now?

When asked about what advice she would share with younger Dreamers, Chasel said, “Keep trying your hardest even during tough days. Always look forward and imagine yourself in your dream job. I continued to imagine myself as a veterinarian and each day I continue to get closer and closer to that goal.”

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination—and today, we are reflecting on what his work, finished and unfinished, means for our own. We were founded in the spirit of Dr. King's own words, in the belief that true equality means access to a quality education for every child. We are grateful for the powerful legacy of Dr. King, both in the far reaching impact he had on civil rights in our nation and in the direct impact his words had on our Founder, Eugene Lang, sparking our work that has touched the lives of 18,000 children. In honoring Dr. King's great legacy, we are also motivated by—and painfully aware of—the fact that there is still much work to be done to ensure that every child has equal access to the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

In his brilliant “The Other America” speech at Stanford University in 1967, Dr. King called for broader policy reforms—highlighting economic inequality as one of the greatest challenges faced by our country. In words that still ring true today, Dr. King said, "It's more difficult today because we are struggling now for genuine equality. It's much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It's much easier to guarantee the right to vote than it is to guarantee the right to live in sanitary, decent housing conditions. It is much easier to integrate a public park than it is to make genuine, quality, integrated education a reality. And so today we are struggling for something which says we demand genuine equality.” 

In Dr. King's time, our nation saw powerful change through collective action: the march from Selma to Montgomery and the Voting Rights Act; the school walkouts in Birmingham that culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the students who bravely walked into segregated schools leading up to and after Brown v. Board of Education. Yet Dr. King himself made it clear that in order to reach true equality, we need more than the desegregation of schools: we need to end extreme poverty and make high quality education accessible to all. Today, with extreme poverty and school segregation on the rise and the gap between rich and poor students widening, it's clear that we are far from the dream of equality that Dr. King envisioned. Yet, as ever, we see the promise of a more equitable future in our young people: from the recent school walkouts to largely youth-powered movements like the demand for gun reform and safer schools, students are raising their voices to speak out for justice and equality. 

In order to do justice to our own mission—and make Dr. King's dream a reality—we must do right by the next generation, and give them access to the tools they need to earn an education and be heard. We asked some of our Dreamers what Dr. King's legacy means to them—and their answers, below, show what it can look like when children are given access to the resources and the platform they deserve. We owe it to them to do better in building bridges, rather than barriers; and to give every child the access to every opportunity to achieve their full potential, regardless of race or family income.

We talked with high school Dreamers in Boulder, Colorado about what they have learned from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Randy, 9th Grade

One lesson I have learned from Martin Luther King, Jr. is to not judge people based on their color—just because they are brown or black. Stereotypes are not true. Unless we speak out against something, it won't change. For example, police brutality will not end unless people continue to stand up against it.

Andrea, 9th Grade

Martin Luther King, Jr. taught me I can make a difference in life and it is possible to change the world around me. I want to see equal rights, especially regarding race. We have made progress, but things aren't equal, and we shouldn't judge people by their color. This world is still not united, but his words give me hope that someday my kids will see a universe that is united instead of separated.

Saúl, 10th Grade

What I learned from Dr. Martin Luther King is to never give up. That’s an important lesson to learn because sometimes when you’re down and feeling like things are hopeless, you remember to find your motivation. He’s an example of what wanting something really badly can do.

Alejandra, 10th Grade

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was my source of inspiration for getting involved in activism in my school and community. He taught me to stand up for what’s right and speak out on the issues. He also taught me to be proud of my skin color and my culture, and never feel less because of it.

“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lathan, a 10th grade Dreamer from Miami, Florida, shared his interpretation of a quote that inspires him:

"This profound quote shines a bright light on human nature. It emphasizes the fact that things are hidden. Humans have a tendency to hide things that will potentially hurt the person next to them. The quote helps us realize the bigger picture within our community, city, county, state, and country. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest minds to realize the shadow that overcasts humans’ hearts, minds, and souls."

Dreamers Give Back: Our National Day of Service

Each January, Dreamers across the country volunteered for the National Day of Service on Martin Luther King Day. The National Day of Service is a day where Dreamers participate in civic engagement to honor and continue the legacy of Dr. King. Each Dreamer makes a difference, and together, we impact many communities across the country. Let’s take a look at how Dreamers worked together to have an impact this year!

Educational Equity News Roundup: 2/27/18

Welcome to our weekly news roundup, where we share the latest in educational equity and issues impacting our Dreamers. To receive this in your inbox each week, sign up here.

The Next Educational Equity Battleground: Little-Noticed ESSA Provision To Allow Parents to See Whether Districts Fund Schools Fairly

The74: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a little-known provision, going into effect in the 2018-19 school year, that will likely expose disparities in how some districts divide resources among their schools. At the superintendent level, school administrators are often left in the dark regarding how specific funds are allocated among schools—helping to further entrench inequities within school districts, where leaders tend to spend less money on teacher salaries in high-poverty schools. Formally exposing this modern-day school segregation may be a step towards serious reform in school-level spending. 

HBCUs contribute to our nation’s prosperity—past and future 

“The work before us to support black students’ success is about giving our children the freedom to choose to become whatever they dream they can be.”

The Baltimore Sun: Former U.S. Secretary of Education writes about the importance of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs,) recognizing the power of education to free students from the structural barriers created by institutional racism. HBCUs have produced leaders in every field, including a disproportionate number of STEM graduates, and fostered advancements in civil rights. Still, there is more work to be done: while more black students are enrolling in college than ever before, there is a retention problem, with only about 4 in 10 earning a bachelor’s degree within 6 years of enrollment. King offers recommendations for closing the college completion gap for black students—which includes support during college.  

New research offers hope to first-generation college grads: Pay stubs of first-generation students match those of wealthier peers

The Hechinger Report: A new study reinforces the place of higher education as a great economic equalizer: at a time where social mobility in the U.S. is getting harder and it is more likely that children of poor adults remain poor, college education is still a lever of social mobility. Among first generation college students who earned a four-year degree in the 2007-8 academic year, 57 percent were working full time and earning an average of $45,000 a year within 5 years of graduation. Still, more needs to be done in supporting first generation college students in getting to college, as they continue to enroll in college at lower rates than their peers—and with more U.S. students earning college degrees overall, this gap continues to widen. 

Why Students Are Still Spending So Much for College Textbooks

The Atlantic: While students could previously hope to offset the high cost of college textbooks by purchasing them used or re-selling them at the end of the semester, many courses now require online codes to access course materials and even homework assignments. While these innovations in technology often save time for instructors, they come at a great cost to students—while benefitting publishers. This move towards online tools also mirrors the higher ed trend towards using low-paid adjunct professors—some argue that in saving instructor time, these online tools are also helping to justifying their low pay. 

Do you have any questions, comments, or articles you recommend? Send an email to karchambault@ihaveadreamfoundation.org.