At KIPP Charlotte Charter School, Ubuntu is ubiquitous, in print and in spirit. A visit to the school campus last week as a volunteer for Career Day affirmed the principle, powerfully. After volunteering for only a few hours, I left having learned and gained as much or more from the students as I hoped to have imparted. I’m grateful for the invitation from Claudia Ollivierre and for the warmth, safety and responsibility that come with we.

“One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu: the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality, Ubuntu, you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

— Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Laureate 

Career Day at KIPP Charlotte Charter School, where fifth and sixth graders learned about the career path of at least one writer.

More about the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) here.