First Recipients of Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship Announced – Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
WILLIAMSBURG — The new Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship, created to address the disparities caused by the generational effects of racism, has named its first recipients.
At an Aug. 2 celebration, the first class of Descendants Scholars — Tasja Bartlett, Corniya Taylor, Brandon Freeman, and Nasir Simms — were recognized by City of Williamsburg leaders and members of the Williamsburg Truth and Reconciliation Committee, who championed the Scholarship’s creation.
According to the Williamsburg Community Foundation, the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship program provides financial assistance for degree or certificate programs to residents of greater Williamsburg with Black ancestors who lived in the Williamsburg area prior to 1964 — the year that the Civil Rights Act was enacted.
“It took many tough conversations and a lot of hard work to get here, but the investment by the City of Williamsburg and today’s milestone is significant. It moves us all closer to being one Williamsburg,” said Lawrence Gholson III, TRC member and NAACP York-James City-Williamsburg Branch president.
“The Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship program helps to address the generational effects of racism and close the disparities that have long affected our community,” Mayor Douglas G. Pons said. “By investing in the educational dreams of our Descendant community, we honor Williamsburg’s past while empowering these students to break barriers and become the leaders of tomorrow.”
Tasja Bartlett (City of Williamsburg) is a lifelong Williamsburg resident and a descendant of the Bartlett family of Highland Park through her grandfather, Ernest R. Bartlett Sr. She’ll graduate in August from ECPI University’s Medical Radiography program and plans to sit for her registry exam before cross-training in mammography. After graduating from Lafayette High School in 2017, she volunteered at Child Development Resources and worked at Home Depot, where she honed leadership and advocacy skills. Inspired by her own and her mother’s experiences with breast cancer, Tasja balances full-time studies and caregiving, having secured federal grants and loans to fund her education.
Brandon Freeman (York County) is a lifelong Williamsburg resident and a descendant of the Highland Park community through his grandparents and great-grandparents. This fall, he will attend Christopher Newport University to study civil engineering and play on the basketball team. Maintaining a 3.5 GPA and recognition in both basketball and football, he also operates a small apparel business. For nearly ten years, Brandon has volunteered locally — packing Thanksgiving meals, delivering Christmas gifts, offering free haircuts and mentoring athletes with Real People Educating Others. He’s already received institutional scholarships and FAFSA aid and plans to apply his skills to community infrastructure.
Nasir Simms (James City County) is a lifelong Williamsburg resident and a proud descendant of the Clay Street families — his great-great-grandmother, Quetta Vaden, purchased and raised her family in the neighborhood before 1964. This fall, he’ll enroll at Virginia Union University to study Computer and Information Sciences. At Lafayette High School, he worked part-time since age 16, raised his grades to all As and Bs after overcoming a traumatic experience through therapy, and balanced academics with varsity sports. As a volunteer with The Village Initiative, he’s helped restock neighborhood book boxes — distributing thousands of books to foster early literacy across Williamsburg and James City County.
Corniya Taylor (City of Williamsburg) is a lifelong Williamsburg resident and a direct descendant of four generations of independent, educated African American women who lived here before 1964. A 2024 Lafayette High School honors graduate, she works in retail four days a week while preparing to attend Virginia Peninsula Community College for two years to earn an associate’s degree in health science. Inspired by her family’s legacy of compassion and resilience, Corniya plans to transfer to a four-year university and ultimately attend medical school to become a pediatrician focused on children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. She has already secured federal aid through FAFSA and will use this scholarship to concentrate fully on her studies.
According to the Williamsburg Community Foundation, the Descendants Scholarship arose from the work of the Williamsburg Truth & Reconciliation Committee, which conducted interviews in the Descendant community to understand the impact of racism and racial injustice historically and how that continues to impact the community today.
The scholarship was unanimously approved by City Council in October and is seeded by an initial gift of $250,000 from the City of Williamsburg. The scholarship is administered by the Williamsburg Community Foundation, which serves as a steward for charitable resources in the community.
The scholarship provides up to $5,400 annually for up to four years to be used for tuition, books, or related educational expenses. The fund allows for four new students each year to receive the scholarship.
Applicants submitted an essay, transcript, and letter of recommendation. A volunteer committee comprising local educators, civic leaders, and representatives of the TRC, reviewed and ranked applications through a blind selection process, the foundation said.
The Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship Committee consisted of Katherine Barko-Alva, Jacqueline Bridgeforth-Williams, Helen Casey-Rutland, Anthony Conyers III, Lawrence Gholson, DeVeria Gore, Laura Hill, Johnette Weaver, LaQuana Wigfall and Benny Zhang.
As administrator of the Descendants Scholarship, the Williamsburg Community Foundation said it will continue to facilitate the annual application and selection process.
The fund is open to additional contributions from individuals and organizations who wish to support this long-term effort towards equity in education.
To learn more or to contribute to the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship Fund, contact the Williamsburg Community Foundation at 757-259-1660 or office@williamsburgcommunityfoundation.org.
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