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A little over 92 years ago, the Sachs Foundation was established with the goal of providing educational opportunities for Black youth in Colorado. However, the more detailed version of our history paints an intriguing path that led to where we are today.  

Originally from New York, Henry Sachs, a talented stockbroker with only a grade-school education, moved to Boston where he started the Boston Curb Market. His first stock-trading venture was a huge success and led him to connect with two men named Gillette and Nickerson. With Henry’s backing and investment knowledge, those men went on to form the Gillette Safety Razor Company which, in return, provided the basis of his fortune. 

Unfortunately, like many others in the early 1900s, Henry eventually contracted tuberculosis. Since little was known about the deadly disease, the recommendation for recovery at the time was to be exposed to drier air, higher elevation, and a sunnier environment – all which Colorado offered year-round. Thanks to his prior investment in Gillette, Henry had the funds to relocate to Colorado Springs, which he did in 1903.  

During his recovery, Henry noticed the mistreatment of the Black hospital staff who would contract tuberculosis caring for patients. With many becoming sick and no treatment available (due to segregated hospitals), the mortality rate of tuberculosis was even higher amongst the Black community. Once he recovered and resumed his talents as a stockbroker and real estate investor, tuberculosis recovery for Black individuals was a driving factor in the beginning stages of the Sachs Foundation.  

With the change of residence and his health back, Henry focused his business on real estate development and collaborated with a new business partner, Morris Esmiol. Together they established the Three Eagles company. Thanks to his smart investments, vast knowledge of stockbroking and real estate development, and connections that helped him along the way, Sachs’ wealth grew. With no children of his own, he decided to use his fortune to support the Black Coloradans. 

No stranger to discrimination Henry Sachs, who was Jewish, invested in the Black community in multiple ways. Sachs became good friends with the Stroud family of Colorado Springs and encouraged their exceptional children’s education. The fourth child of the Stroud family, Effie, was a top student at Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer High School) and had a mind that excelled within the field of chemistry. However, because she was Black, she found few educational opportunities available to her. Henry, wanting to see her succeed, offered to pay for her college education if she kept her grades up and studied hard. This led to Effie being the only Black woman to be enrolled in college at the time, and Sachs continued to support her studies at Colorado College.  

The foundation was first thought of at a weekend picnic in 1927. KD Stroud, Effie’s father, mentioned the idea of an educational foundation to Henry. While Effie finished her schooling at Colorado College, KD suggested establishing a foundation that would inherit his estate and continue the mission of supporting and helping Black Coloradans facing economic and educational discrimination. Agreeing with KD, the Sachs Foundation was established on January 8th, 1931, and Dolphus Stroud, Effie’s brother, was named the first Sachs Scholar.  

The mission of the Sachs Foundation since the beginning was to address the racial inequity that existed in the United States and particularly in Colorado. One of the ways Henry planned to achieve this mission was by building the National Lincoln Sanitorium. Ran by Black physicians, nurses, and technicians, this hospital would ensure that Black patients received safe treatment for tuberculosis at no cost. With the location approved (owned by the Three Eagles Company and “near 8th street and Brookside in Ivywild”) and Brookside Water Company’s attorney ensuring that they would supply water for the sanitorium, the idea looked like it would come to fruition. Instead, a year later, the idea was abandoned after an agreement was made for Black patients to be treated at the existing Beth El hospital with the Sachs Foundation investing into that program. The organization also began to focus on education more as the needs of the community shifted.  

Henry went on to continue supporting Black Coloradans by increasing the number of scholarships given, increasing funding, and developing real estate to ensure his foundation would continue to make an impact long after he passed. On April 13th, 1952, Henry Sachs passed away leaving approximately $1.25 million dollars to his foundation. The foundation continued operating with his business partner, Morris Esmiol, leading their mission.  

After Henry’s death, the Sachs Foundation continued to celebrate Black excellence by funding the first Black medical students at the University of Colorado, giving grants to fund emergency tuberculosis research in Black individuals when it was needed in the 1980s, increasing the number of students awarded scholarships, introducing and rotating programs to best address current issues faced by Black Coloradans, but most importantly, honoring Sachs’ vision of erasing racial inequity.  

Since 1931, the Sachs Foundation has awarded 3,245 scholarships and given over $40,876,610 to support exceptional Black students. We constantly evaluate how we can make the biggest impact on improving the lives of Black Coloradans. Currently, we carry out Henry Sachs’ vision through three programs addressing educational inequities, quick adaptations to best suit the biggest needs of our community, supporting community events and other organizations who are working to address inequities the Black community faces, and funding educational opportunities beyond the classroom.  

As Henry Sachs said, “I don’t think there’s any better way to spend money than by investing in people. If you want them to be successful, to contribute in some way to society, education is the key.” To this day, the Sachs Foundation fully believes there is no better way to spend money than by investing in the Black community of Colorado through education. Our scholars consistently prove this by going on to become individuals who win a Pulitzer prize, are named federal judges, teach at the Mayo Clinic, run the biggest Black-owned bookstore in America, pay off the student loans for an entire graduating class at HBCU’s, create change, invest in their communities, attend graduate schools, stand up for themselves, build their wealth, pursue art, dance, singing, and writing, have the freedom to choose what they want to become, and most importantly, grow into adults who understand the importance and value of their talents.

After the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving is done, it’s important to remember what we are most thankful for. At Sachs, we are grateful for the opportunity to give back to our community, our staff who work relentlessly to expand educational opportunities for Black Coloradans, and the people we meet along the way like our Sachs intern, Trinity Lawler. An exceptional addition to our team, Trinity is a high school senior that excels at our office and in our Elevated program.

Senior year is always a busy time, but for Trinity, she crams her schedule full of extra-curriculars. Adding to being a Sachs intern and Elevated student, she also makes time to be involved in Peak Education, Student Council, Minds Matter, Girl Scouts, National Honor Society, and Senior Student Government. When asked about her experience with Elevated, she said, “Elevated is the best thing I have ever been a part of. Between the college trips and group outings, I have learned so much about myself and my peers. It has also taught me that I always have people who have my back.” Expanding on her time in the program, she recalled, “My favorite memory during my time in Elevated would have to be when our bus broke down on a college trip to New Mexico for six hours! That was definitely bonding time for us.”

Although Trinity is incredibly involved at her school and in her community, she still finds time for activities she enjoys. “School takes up a lot of my time, but I do enjoy gardening, plant shopping, and planning events for my high school! Perhaps the hobby that takes up the most of my time would be taking care of my baby brother.”

With such a driven personality, one might wonder who inspires Trinity and keeps her focused. “My role model is my cousin Isabel. She is one of the best people I have in my life. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be just like her, and I still do. Isabel is the most beautiful soul, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without her.”

With Trinity working as an intern and being involved in Elevated, it’s easy to imagine how often she ends up spending time with our staff. When asked why she wanted to be an intern, Trinity responded, “I am the type of person to want to know the ins and outs on how things work, and being an intern for the Sachs Foundation allows me that privilege of how Elevated works.” Luckily, she doesn’t mind hanging out with our staff. “My favorite part of this internship has been the environment of the office itself and the people apart of it. Whenever I have a stressful day at school, the Sachs office makes me feel so much better and at ease.” (And we’re lucky because she does the same for us!) During her few months at Sachs, Trinity made some interesting discoveries through her internship. “The most interesting things I have learned is that, one, there are A LOT of past Sachs Foundation scholars, and two, envelopes might need more stamps if they are above a certain weight. I had no idea!”

While the foundation enjoys having Trinity around, we’re excited to see her excel as she starts her college journey after graduation in 2023. Post-graduation, Trinity plans to attend Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Her dream job is to be a psychiatrist; however, she believes being a Psychiatric NP is more up her alley. When asked what she is most excited about after high school, Trinity gave such a heartwarming answer. “I am looking forward to building myself up and making the best life possible for my little brother and I.” That answer sums up who Trinity is; a phenomenal Elevated senior and intern who exemplifies selflessness and drive. We are so thankful to have her on our team!

By O’Dell Isaac, odell.isaac@gazette.com

Many students of color in Colorado Springs and El Paso County are missing out on the chance to further…

August, 2022 – This Summer, six Sachs Scholars traveled to England to join scholars from the Fulbright Commission and other international students from the UK and around the world to participate in the University of Bristol’s “Arts, activism and social justice summer school”. Ganete Alemseged, Gbemisola Akala, Kereine Ngoungui-Malemba, Nyankat Doldol, Sabrene Mechergui and Sophie Teitler were selected to participate in the three-week program to study themes such as racism, social justice, and colonialism across multiple continents.

Talking to the scholars, there were a few favorite aspects amongst everyone. The friendships that people made during the trip had a lasting impact. When asked about what aspects of the course were most valuable, Sophie stated, “I was reminded about the value of human connection and listening to one another in order to get to know someone well.” Another scholar, Ganete expanded on how close the students became over the course of two weeks. “By the end, it felt like a family. People were crying when they had to go their separate ways.” Another important takeaway for scholars was personal growth. Kereine talked about the personal growth she experienced while in Bristol.

“One thing I took away from an instructor that I hope to never forget is to not work for just money. Money will come and go, but I choose to live a life that will be fruitful and help others in the process. I don’t want to spend my life chasing money and lose what really matters, people, experiences, and fulfillment. I am working on being productive and not shying away from my gifts.”

While friendships are valuable, our scholars also expanded on their biggest lessons. From feeling more aware of entering spaces and the history that lies there to rethinking the definition of activism, students learned more about themselves and their abilities to help others. When asked about her key takeaways from her trip, Nyankat said, “…To be a voice because I’m blessed with one, and no matter what I do, make sure I walk in the light of the voiceless.” Ganete also offered insight and talked about her new definition of activism.

“There was a guy who came and talked about ourselves and activism. We have to be better for ourselves to help our community. I’m always putting others first but sometimes it’s too much on me. I’ve learned it’s important to let me cool down so I can be a better leader. It was a refresh at the perfect moment. I can now say ‘my body needs this if I want to go out a be a great activist.’”

Similar to Ganete, Sabrene talked about connecting her life to the program. “Through this course, I was able to find the connection between history, self-reflection, and social justice. You can only start making a difference in your community once you’re comfortable in your own skin.”

The scholars also were intrigued by seeing social activism in the UK and learning that concepts that are usually thought to be US based are indeed global. Kereine gave us insight on what she learned in her courses.

“We learned about social justice in the form of how society kept statues of slave owners, and how there is still strife over keeping those statues. It’s shocking because you would think that there wouldn’t be people with that type of mindset who are determined to fight for statues of racist slave owners. It showed me that every country has its own social activism to do.”

Gbemisola also deepened her understanding of history during take a the program. “Another key way was the importance of knowing the full story. History is very whitewashed. I have made it a personal goal to ensure my consumption of knowledge is accurate.”

While all six students valued different parts of the course, there was one question that had a common answer. When asked if they would recommend other Sachs Scholars to participate in this course, the answer was an overwhelming yes! In the words of Nyankat, “YES YES YES YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES.” And if one scholar wasn’t enough, Kereine says, “GO FOR IT. DO NOT HESITATE!!” (She also mentioned it being the best three weeks of your life.)

We are so proud of our scholars and the work they do to grow as leaders, students, and activists within their community. We hope that their experience encourages other people to step out of their comfort zone and look for similar opportunities in the future.

By Cole Sullivan, 9News

COLORADO, USA — Teach for America has partnered with a Colorado Springs nonprofit to offer $10,000 in salary incentives to attract Black educators to Colorado. Currently, fewer than 2% of teachers in the state identify as Black, according to Colorado Department of Education (CDE) data.

The new effort, a partnership with the Sachs Foundation, will work to create community “cohorts” among new Black educators, who may be among the only teachers of color in their districts.

“We cannot have high-quality instruction without a diverse teaching workforce,” said Prateek Dutta, the executive director of Teach for America’s Colorado chapter. “Just having one Black teacher for a Black child decreases absenteeism, decreases suspension rates, drastically increases college attendance and persistence by as high as 40%.”

By editorial board, Denver Gazette

In a perfect world, kids would be colorblind. Neither their own race nor their teacher’s would matter to their education.

Our hope is that society eventually will get to that point, but until it does, some of Colorado’s children of color may be looking for a role model at the head of the class. The premise of a new, potentially groundbreaking endeavor in Colorado Springs is that Black students in particular could benefit greatly if more teachers were Black, as well.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Sachs Foundation, an organization that has supported Black Coloradans since 1931, and Teach For America (TFA) Colorado, the state branch of a national organization that expands educational opportunity for children by recruiting and training educators, are partnering to offer Black college graduates in Colorado an opportunity to make an impact as an educator. The organizations intend to build a community of Black educators through cohort groups and supplement salaries to address the shortage of Black teachers in Colorado.

The number of Black educators in the U.S. has been in decline since schools were desegregated, but data confirms that representation matters to students. Johns Hopkins research shows that the presence of just one Black teacher in grades 3-5 increases low-income Black boys’ interest in college by 29% and lowers the high school drop-out rate by 39%. However, 150 of Colorado’s 178 school districts have no Black teachers at all. The Sachs Foundation launched its Teacher Development Program in 2020 to improve educator diversity in Colorado schools, a mission that matches TFA’s goal of increasing diversity in the teaching ranks to better reflect student populations.

Working together, the organizations are intentionally building a community of Black educators in Colorado. TFA Colorado is taking the lead on identifying, recruiting and training teachers since that is the organization’s area of expertise, and Sachs is providing financial support for Black teachers working in Colorado who are part of the program, drawing on its experience of providing scholarships for Black Coloradans. Both organizations emphasize the importance of a cohort (peer group) in program success. TFA Colorado says the partnership has already increased the number of Black educators who are able to teach through TFA by 150%.

One persistent recruiting obstacle is that Black students typically graduate with higher levels of debt than white peers and therefore have the incentive to enter more lucrative professions like business or engineering, even if they’re interested in teaching. The Sachs-TFA partnership addresses that challenge by augmenting teacher salaries. Another barrier is that potential teachers may be discouraged by the prospect of being the only Black educator at their school. The cohort aspect of the program addresses that by creating a community and providing peer support and networking opportunities.

“Teach For America is a well-known and widely respected national organization, so we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the TFA Colorado team,” said Ben Ralston, President, Sachs Foundation. “It’s a natural fit because we share the same values, and our capabilities are complementary. The Sachs Foundation has funds we can use to meet this challenge, and TFA has the critical teacher recruiting and training expertise to make it work. We’re hoping to expand the program eventually.”

The Sachs Foundation has already committed $165,000 to the program this year, and has announced it will continue to support participating Black TFA Colorado educators as they continue in their careers over the next three years. Sachs expects its investments to reach over $350,000 annually during that time. Teach For America will continue to recruit teachers, including talented Black graduates for teaching positions in Colorado, a task that is made easier by the financial resources and cohort element of the program.

“We’ve been committed to building a pipeline of diverse teachers for Colorado from the beginning,” said Executive Director of TFA Colorado Dr. Prateek Dutta. “Black teachers have to overcome so many barriers, and this partnership is the perfect step in the right direction because now we have the resources to attract and retain Black educators by addressing the two major challenges they face: lack of funding and isolation. With Sachs Foundation, we can make a huge difference for Black teachers and students in Colorado schools.”

Learn more about the Sachs Foundation at SachsFoundation.org. Find out more about Teach For America’s work in Colorado at TeachForAmerica.org/colorado.