Scholarship program announced

New action works on generational effects of racism in Williamsburg area

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Williamsburg’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee with members of City Council in 2022. Pictured, L-R, are Vice Mayor Pat Dent, Benny Zhang, Lawrence Gholson, Katherine Barko-Alva, Laura D. Hill, Helen Casey-Rutland, Mayor Doug Pons, Adam Canaday, Bobby Braxton and council member Barbara Ramsey. Courtesy of Laura D. Hill

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By Emma Henry Correspondent

WILLIAMSBURG — A new scholarship program intended to address disparities caused by the generational effects of racism was approved Thursday by Williamsburg City Council.

The scholarship is the first action item that has come out of the city’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee, which was formed in 2021 to study the impact of racism and racial injustice on Williamsburg residents.

Mayor Doug Pons called the scholarship program “a unique initiative to help those who may have been harmed in the past.”

“Providing this opportunity for furthering education, in my mind, is no better way to help prepare somebody to be a better citizen,” Pons added.

The committee met through July 2023 and then presented its report and recommendations to City Council, which identified two initial action items — a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant and the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship Program.

The program, which was unanimously approved by City Council, will provide scholarships for degree or certificate programs to city residents with Black ancestors who lived in the Williamsburg area prior to when the Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1964.

The conditions for the scholarships will not require DNA tests or a demonstration of lineage, but rather ask for written work from applicants describing their connections and academic goals.

The scholarships will be available to all ages.

Once in place, the scholarship program will be launched with $250,000 from the city and include opportunities for outside donors to contribute to the fund. Each student will receive $5,400 per year, per person for up to four years.

The city is in discussions with the nonprofit Williamsburg Community Foundation to distribute the scholarships, said City Manager Andrew Trivette. The plan is to award the first scholarship by next spring.

Council initially decided to support the initiatives of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee because “we wanted to dig into our history and find where we can make things right,” Pons said during the council work session on Monday.

Council member Stacy Kern-Scheerer said the scholarships are the next step in the process of “name it, claim it and fix it.”

“Actions of the city in the past didn’t only impact the past, they impact for generations,” she said.

“Something else that can impact for generations is access to education and the ability to reach your goals in a way that you want to for your life. … What happened before is still felt, so now, let’s lift up together and have opportunities for people to get an education and how we can be part of that positivity going forward.”

Staff writer Kim O’Brien Root contributed to this story.

Emma Henry, eghenry1502@gmail.com