Why Imperial Legacy Was Founded

Twenty-nine years ago, Martha, her husband, and her 3 children migrated to the United States in hopes of a better and brighter future. She was 38 years old, with no career, no formal education, and was not literate. Martha and her husband’s dream was simple: to work hard and ensure her children were given the education that she wished she had. 

While raising her children, she worked as a housekeeper, which was the only job where reading and writing were not required. She found pride in being able to provide for her family, although at times she wished she could do more. Martha only hoped she could read and write like she saw others were able to. She would dream of the day that her self-esteem would increase because she would be able to read.

One day while Martha’s children were doing their after-school homework, they sought her help, and as usual, her response was to encourage them to wait until their father came home to help. But this time, her children were persistent. They questioned her about spelling words and the alphabet, and she was unable to answer their questions. That day her children realized that their mother struggled in the area of literacy, so they took it upon themselves to help their mother learn how to write her name, learn the alphabet, and learn to speak English. This was the start of a legacy was being built inside of their own home.

Martha’s children were able to succeed educationally. Her oldest obtained her Doctoral in Nursing, her second-born obtained her Doctoral in Pharmacy, and her youngest obtained his Master’s in Public Health. The driving force behind such success was their mother’s inability to access that type of education at a younger age.

Wanting to give back and help those that are in the same circumstances as their mother, Martha’s two daughters have decided to invest and build a literacy program. Imperial Legacy, Inc. is a non-profit organization with the mission to ensure legacy through literacy. It aims to create an environment where any adult in need can confidently enroll and succeed in learning how to read, write and speak English.