Episode 98 | Flora Mancuso Edwards, former President Hostos Community College, lawyer

Flora Mancuso Edwards. Photograph by Eduardo Hoepelman

Flora Mancuso Edwards, Former president Eugenio María de Hostos Community College (Hostos ) 1979-1987 

The short version. Earlier this week 45 revealed he didn’t understand the role community colleges played in the country. Alas. Scathing ignorance.

Here is former Eugenio María de Hostos Community College President, Flora Mancuso (1979 - 1987). A woman leader. I hadn’t played a woman’s voice in three weeks, so here it is. A woman leader sharing who was part of shaping and solidifying the course and impact of the institution, this month celebrating 50-years. More broadly this is also about community colleges, public-urban education, and minority-serving institutions in the United States.

The survival and growth of Hostos depended on the actions of a lot of noble people. The South Bronx community in general fought hard for their future on a lot of fronts, and Hostos was part of that ticket. Community colleges across the country are a necessity; they predominantly serve people who might otherwise not have a chance for an education.

Hostos delivered. It made a home on 149th Street and Grand Concourse transforming thousands of lives over the past half-century. That's the truth.

Sol