Court Crandall had an idea. Crandall, a Hollywood screenwriter and advertising executive, wanted to help young people and boost the battered image of the city of Compton, a Los Angeles suburb.
His idea, a simple free-throw contest with the winner receiving $40,000 toward the cost of college, netted far more positive, feel-good publicity than any public relations campaign could have possibly mustered thanks to the generosity of Allan Guei.
Guei, a Compton student, won the free throw contest which attracted over 80 applicants who had to have a GPA of at least 3.00. The field was narrowed down to eight participants drawn at random. It’s not that Guei really turned out to be much of a marksman at the free throw line. The 5-foot-9 student only made five out of 10 attempts, but that was good enough to best the other seven nerve-rattled contestants during the event.
His idea, a simple free-throw contest with the winner receiving $40,000 toward the cost of college, netted far more positive, feel-good publicity than any public relations campaign could have possibly mustered thanks to the generosity of Allan Guei.
Guei, a Compton student, won the free throw contest which attracted over 80 applicants who had to have a GPA of at least 3.00. The field was narrowed down to eight participants drawn at random. It’s not that Guei really turned out to be much of a marksman at the free throw line. The 5-foot-9 student only made five out of 10 attempts, but that was good enough to best the other seven nerve-rattled contestants during the event.
And it’s not like Guei lacked basketball ability. Despite his size, Guei, who lead his high school hoops team to the district finals, accepted an offer to attend Cal State Northridge on a full basketball scholarship shortly after the free throw contest.
Still, the 18-year-old student would later stun everybody, Crandall included, when he announced at graduation ceremonies he would forego the $40,000 and donate the winnings to the other seven contestants. And before anybody becomes too cynical, Guei, under NCAA rules, would have been allowed to keep most of his winnings.
Still, the 18-year-old student would later stun everybody, Crandall included, when he announced at graduation ceremonies he would forego the $40,000 and donate the winnings to the other seven contestants. And before anybody becomes too cynical, Guei, under NCAA rules, would have been allowed to keep most of his winnings.
You can read the rest here.
So when some people say that young black men are a lost generation. That they are victims of a culture and attitude that causes them to wreck havoc on themselves and those around them, I would suggest that they look up Allan Guei and note that he is the rule not the exception.
Just because you choose to ignore their stories does not mean that they don’t exist.
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