Chromes For Kids

The following article was contributed by LEAP:

In March of 2020, the whole educational system was drastically altered. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, social distancing regulations were implemented, shutting down schools and forcing kids to stay at home. To continue learning, teachers adapted to using various online teaching platforms to provide assignments, lectures, and other educational resources. Unfortunately, low income children were put at a significant educational disadvantage as so many lacked computers and internet access at home.

Jaelen King, the upcoming President of the Yale Black Men’s Union, explains, ​“COVID-19 did nothing but exacerbate issues that were already present in our communities.” Students have long needed adequate technology resources such as stable WiFi and a home computer to complete schoolwork. With social distancing, children who were already at a disadvantage now suffered further.

A coalition of organizations representing young African American men decided to take on this cause. King partnered with Isaac Yearwood, the upcoming Vice President of the Yale Black Men’s Union and a member of the Nu Gamma Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, and Bernard Grant, a rising senior at the University of New Haven and a member of the Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Upon the recommendation of Dean Risë Nelson, the director of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, the group decided to direct their efforts towards raising money to buy chromebooks for New Haven Public School Students. 

Yearwood explains, ​“We were inspired to try and fundraise to help the New Haven community. It’s the least we could do for a community that extends so much love and support to us as students.” The affiliate organizations of King, Yearwood, and Grant already do work with NHPS students in a variety of mentoring capacities, and so they were excited to be able to stay engaged in helping these youth even when in person programming had to be canceled.

The Chromes for Kids fundraiser was able to collect over $6,500 over the last two weeks of May. After collecting the money, the group collaborated with LEAP and the City of New Haven’s Youth Services Department. LEAP combined these funds with other donations to buy over 40 chromebooks. These were distributed over the last few weeks to children in neighborhoods across New Haven.

Grant talked about working on this project, ​“To know that we were able to bring a smile to a child’s face and assist their learning experience, that’s an amazing feeling.”