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In July 1985, the first annual Community Scholarship Tea was held at Evanston’s historic Second Baptist Church on Benson Avenue. A planning committee made up of the scholarship chairs from five community groups — Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, NAACP Evanston/North Shore Branch and Ione S. Brown Memorial Scholarship — organized the event. The committee quickly expanded, formally adopting the name ‘UNITY’ in 1986.
Now, 40 years later, the UNITY Scholarship Committee includes more than 20 predominantly Black community organizations that come together to recognize the academic excellence of local youth and to help high school graduates further their education. Since its inception, UNITY has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to high school seniors and college students.
This year, 60 students received scholarships at the 40th Anniversary Community Scholarship Tea, which was held in June at the First Church of God Christian Life Center, 1524 Simpson St. The group celebrated 40 years with a special reception before the awards program, where scholarship recipients and their parents were invited to enjoy appetizers and desserts along with representatives from UNITY member organizations.
Spencer Nabors delivered the program’s keynote speech. Having recently completed her doctorate in philosophy at Northwestern University, she currently serves as an associate minister at Second Baptist Church.
A former scholarship recipient herself, Nabors recalled the excitement and uncertainty she felt as she prepared to for college after graduating from Evanston Township High School. As she reflected on her experience at Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college in Atlanta, she urged students to balance studying with fun, and to find extracurricular activities that resonate with their interests and values.
Nabors offered some practical advice as well, advising recipients to practice active learning, and to avoid using artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT to complete assignments more easily.
“Use your skills to benefit our world,” she said.
UNITY Scholarship Committee Chair Latisha Bell also gave a special presentation to honor founders C. Louise Brown and Charlene Jones. Bell expressed deep gratitude for the founders’ presence at the event, and for their vision and dedication in laying the groundwork for what UNITY is today.
Brown later addressed the scholarship recipients.
“We want you to know we are a caring community,” she said. “We care enough about you to have a scholarship. We’re willing to put our money where our mouth is.”
Brown also advised the students not to feel pressured to “go along with the crowd” and to choose their own path. “You define yourself,” she said. “You are unique. Don’t let anybody try to define you.”
In addition to Brown and Jones, the late Yvonne Davis and the late Helen Cromer Cooper co-founded the organization. This year’s reception marked four decades since Brown, who worked as the City of Evanston’s public health director, and Davis, a teacher and community leader, made a commitment to each other to bring the UNITY Scholarships to fruition. They were joined the following year by fellow community leaders Cromer Cooper and Jones. Together, the four women made that dream a lasting reality.
Scholarship recipients receive money to assist with the cost of tuition and books for the upcoming academic year. This year’s awardees will attend a wide variety of public institutions, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northern Illinois University; private universities, including Northwestern, Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania; and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Howard, Morehouse and North Carolina A&T.
The 2025 UNITY Scholarship recipients are: Toluwanimi Adeosun, Dallas Amos, Taija Banks, Jeanine Bahanuzi, Brianna Isabella Bernal, Agnes Bijole-Himes, Camryn Brinson, Nathan Campbell, Kenneth Coleman, Kennedi Dillard, Morgan Dillard, Marley Dorcilus, Kelley Ellis, Kayjah Etyem, Caitlyn Flowers, Kenneth Gaddy, Maasai Gentle, Hannah Honoré, Nya Hopson, Kelsey Howard, Mya Hubbard, Dianney Moriah Hunt, Kendall Jack, Israel Jackson, Saji Kelly, Michael Lavizzo, Kevin Louis-Charles, Imani Malone, Jereni Marshall, Karis Martin, Milannia Martin-Hayes, Kennedy Murray, Pierce Nabors, Olivia Ohlson, Jamian (JJ) Oshinowo, Richard (Brady) Phillips Jr., Nathan Peterson, Jacques Philippe, Bereket Rams, Kari Robinson, Marycruz Rodriguez, Miguel Rojas, Timothy Russell, Jocelyn Scurlock, Anisa Sebagalla, Kiza Shauri, Annah Stevenson, Olivia Stevenson, Arielle Sushinski, Corinne Sylvestre, Josephine Teoudoussia, Gabriel Thompson, Kailey Vaughn, Stephen Warburton, Sianna Waters, Christian Watts, Zoe Whatley and Dawson Wright.
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Heidi Randhava is an award winning reporter who has a deep commitment to community engagement and service. She has written for the Evanston RoundTable since 2016. More by Heidi Randhava
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The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city. We seek to foster civic engagement and empower people to address complex issues facing our diverse community, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of people of all races, ethnicities, and income levels.
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