Black high school principal works at Walmart to help students
Henry Darby works at the retail store from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Henry Darby, principal at North Charleston High School in South Carolina, works by day as a beloved educator and by night, he stocks shelves at a local Walmart to help students in need — every paycheck from his second job goes entirely towards helping them.
Darby works at the retail store from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and after pulling an all-nighter, he still manages to dispense hugs and greet the students with a smile as they stream into the school building.
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Moved to emotion as he spoke about the students whom he affectionately refers to as his “grandchildren,” Darby said on NBC’s TODAY show that he was motivated to help ease the financial burdens of the students when he learned that many have been hit so hard by the pandemic that they’ve been forced to live in sub par conditions.
Some have been relegated to sleeping on mattresses on the floor and others, who are experiencing the horrors of homelessness, come to school in the morning after spending the night sleeping under a bridge or in a car.
According to NBC News, about 90 percent of the student body at North Charleston is living below the poverty line.
Not one to boast about his philanthropic endeavors, Darby had intended to keep his second job at Walmart a secret, and was surprised when his story began making the news.
“The attention, I’m not used to it,” Darby said. “I don’t think that I’ve done anything worthy of distinction or to warrant the attention.”
Darby said he learned about the importance of giving back as a child from his mother. “Not only did I have to help others, I had to help others without charging them anything,” he said. “From washing windows to visiting old folk’s homes to cutting grass. I was not allowed to charge, I had to just give back to my community.”
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His only request of the students is that they pay it forward and help others.
To honor the principal, Walmart surprised him on the TODAY show with a $50,000 check for his school. Darby said the donation will “go a very, very long way for our students.”
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