Meet Larry
Lawrence (Larry) Johnson completed coursework at a vocational school in the 1970s that led him to a career at Con Edison, one of the largest energy companies in the United States, providing electricity, gas, and steam to New York City and Westchester. A program aimed at diversifying Con Edison’s professional workforce opened the door for Larry to earn his bachelor of arts in business administration at Pace University - making him the first person in his family to earn a college degree. Understanding that education, training and opportunity are keys to financial freedom, he strived to create pathways for other diverse people to follow.
When Larry was promoted to the procurement department at Con Edison, he noted very few bids were awarded to minority-owned businesses. He took the initiative to identify and contact minority business owners, raise their awareness of the bidding process, and educate these entrepreneurs on the elements of competitive bids. For many business owners, this was a game-changer, and there was a notable increase in bids awarded to minority-owned businesses during his tenure in this role. His career transitioned to Plant Manager for the Division of School Facilities with the New York City Department of Education, where he worked until he retired in 2010. In this role, he encouraged diverse custodians to complete certifications that would advance their careers, supported the few custodial engineers of color in how to make their schools stand out, and secured jobs for family and friends in this stable industry with clear opportunities for advancement. When Larry passed away in 2022, several people spoke at his service about his impact on their professional and personal lives. In fact, a number of his former custodians relocated to Long Island to utilize the financial freedom secured in their careers to purchase homes for their families.
Larry’s Legacy was launched in 2022 by his son, Jarred, to honor his father’s life, legacy, and belief in the importance of vocational training and higher education as keys to financial freedom for people of color. The 2023 Supreme Court decision to end race-based affirmative action is another barrier to the success of underrepresented minorities in education. Student debt and the stronghold it has on the financial futures of graduates is another. With your support, we can help underrepresented students graduate from college or vocational schools without crippling debt so they can be in the position to pursue the life they want to live, not the life they have to live.
Our Founder's Story
I created Larry’s Legacy in August of 2022 to honor my father and the life lessons he instilled in me, to help future generations achieve the education they desire and deserve, and to remove the burden of student loan repayment on the career and personal choices of underrepresented students.
When I graduated from college in 2010, the economy was in a recession and multi-million dollar corporations needed to be bailed out by the federal government to avoid failure. Many of my peers had no choice but to take any job they could find because student loan repayment began six short months after graduation. My father invested in my education and afforded me the opportunity to graduate from college free of student loans. Without debt from my education; I was unencumbered to purchase my first home, travel the country to see my favorite NFL football team (New York Jets) play, and generally became a student of the world without the dark cloud of student loan debt hovering above me. People in my graduation cohort have struggled to make progress toward their desired career path or make difficult decisions to repay their loans by taking a job that simply provides income but doesn’t reflect their degree. Career choices have been available to me since I did not feel pressured to take a job simply to pay my student loans. I recognize that many young people do not have this privilege and I want to change that.
Minority students shoulder most of the student loan debt in the country, with Black students having to borrow the most of all racial groups, according to a recent survey. With your generous donations, Larry’s Legacy sets out to close that gap between racial groups to give all members of society a fair shake at a better life, free of student loan debt and rich in possibilities.
