Stephen Black is an Alabama Bright Light turning poverty into possibility
Stephen Black is making a difference with Impact America. (Karim Shamsi-Basha / Alabama NewsCenter)
Stephen Black is convinced that the best way to help others is to teach them to help themselves.
Whether it is overcoming poverty or providing a new direction in life, Black founded Impact America to create possibilities.
“Above all, we seek a sense of possibility – that our young citizens believe in the efficacy of their actions to make a real difference, that they develop a keen sense of empathy and responsibility for those most in need, that they strive to safeguard every individual’s health, well-being and worth,” reads the statement on Impact America’s website.
Stephen Black is making a real difference with Impact America from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
It also sums up Black’s philosophy. The grandson of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black has spent decades honing that viewpoint.
“When students become more familiar with the realities of poverty and individuals struggling to break free of it, they begin to develop a greater sense of responsibility to take action to promote social change,” Black said.
Black worked at Maynard Cooper & Gale law firm in Birmingham after graduating law school at Yale. Three years later he was called to public service in policy and economic development work with the state of Alabama. After speaking to thousands of students, he was encouraged by their enthusiasm and turned his focus to founding the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility at the University of Alabama. In 2004, he founded Impact Alabama, which he later changed to Impact America, where he serves as president and chairman.
“Impact Alabama started 13 years ago with four core initiatives, the two largest being the free tax preparation initiative where we train college students to prepare taxes for low-income working families across the state,” Black said. “We have a vision initiative called Focus First, where we screen low-income preschools with high-tech vision screenings and follow-up care to children 2 to 5 years old.”
Impact America includes Speak First, which brought participants to the National Speech & Debate Tournament in Birmingham June 18-23.
“We have a debate team for talented kids in the city of Birmingham, which is part of our college preparation initiative,” Black said. “We have an Advanced Placement summer initiative for really hard-working students in the state.”
In 2008, Black received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leaders Award for his work with Focus First. It was given due to his creativity and commitment in pressing health issues facing society.
When asked about how all of his efforts with Impact America affect him on a personal level, Black is quick to answer.
“It’s incredibly rewarding,” he said. “I think the biggest challenge our country faces, regardless of theology or politics, is what happens to a nation of over 300 million people who are statistically segregating and separating themselves from each other.”
The challenges may be many, and the obstacles tremendous, but Black has found a way to do his part.
For more information, visit impactamerica.com.
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
