Sitting on stage at the front of the cafeteria having a Q&A with the eSTART program, Dr. Walter Cooper was asked if he feels like he’s had an impact on the world. Dr. Cooper thought about it for a second and replied, “not big enough!” The audience laughed with him, fully aware of the influence he’s had during his accomplished life. Dr. Cooper has had a lasting and ongoing impact; one that he continues to share – sometimes in conversations with students - to this day.
Dr. Cooper is part of eSTART’s history curriculum. The civil rights activist co-founded The Urban League of Rochester, helped get Action for a Better Community off the ground, served as chairman of the education committee of the NAACP for a number of years, and worked at Eastman Kodak Company all the while.
"I believe in the dignity of the human being. You don't destroy that, and you don't minimize that," said Dr. Cooper talking to students and staff.
He told the audience about how he and the football team forced the hand of the cheerleading team back in high school. Dr. Cooper convinced his teammates to boycott practice until four Black women were allowed to become cheerleaders. This was right after the football team had won four games in a row and were about to face their rivals. Dr. Cooper recalls hearing the football coach roaring through the halls saying, "I don’t care what they want, give it to them!” And that’s how the cheerleading team became diverse.
“You do not stand idly by when you see the destruction of human beings,” said Dr. Cooper.
He credits his mom with introducing new perspectives at a young age. Dr. Cooper says he didn’t grow up with much, but he and his sisters did have a library card. That library opened up a whole world of people and possibilities.
eSTART staff took questions from students and each other ahead of time and relayed them to Dr. Cooper when he came to visit. “What’s something our students can do to make the world a better place?” was one of the questions.
Dr. Cooper said, “The students can be instrumental in writing letters to government officials, writing letters to your local officials. If you see something is wrong, I think you should be morally compelled to try to do something about it. Your ability to do things may be limited because you’re not an organization, but I think letters to politicians are very important. If they don’t answer, write to them again."
He reflected on his close working relationships with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynahan and Bobby Kennedy. “That’s what I enjoyed about Bobby Kennedy. He was responsive to what people had to say about the issues, not only in New York State, but across the country.”
eSTART's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee invited Dr. Cooper as an extension of what students were learning in their Social Studies classes. Students wrote a thank you letter sharing the lessons they learned and expressing their appreciation for his words of wisdom.
