Scholarships now available for descendants of individuals who were denied a public education

Virginia Descendants of Massive Resistance Victims to Receive $10,000 Scholarships

Forty-two descendants of Virginians who were locked out of school during the era of Massive Resistance are set to receive a $10,000 scholarship each for an educational program in the state. The Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship committee recently approved funds for all new applicants to the program, thanks to expanded eligibility granted by 2023 legislation.

Initially, the committee had planned to offer only 10 scholarship awards. However, during a closed-session discussion, a decision was made to fund all of this year’s applicants. The scholarship program is receiving $2 million from the state budget and a $500,000 federal grant, bringing the fund’s balance to about $3 million after this year’s awards are distributed.

The program, created in 2004, was previously limited to individuals directly impacted by the school closures that occurred between 1954 and 1964. The closures were a result of several Virginia school divisions choosing to shut down schools instead of integrating them after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The descendants eligible for the scholarships are mainly relatives of the “lost generation” in Prince Edward County, where public schools were closed for five years. Additionally, ten children of the directly impacted Virginians and two individuals who were personally locked out of school will also receive scholarship funds this year.

The committee plans to work with school counselors to spread awareness about the program and its expanded eligibility. While considering out-of-state college applicants is not out of the question, priority will be given to students who choose to remain in-state.

U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner played a key role in securing federal funding for the program, emphasizing the importance of providing educational support to those who were unjustly deprived of an education during the era of segregation and Massive Resistance.