EJI giving $10K scholarships to MPS graduates over next 3 years

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Several Montgomery high school graduates over the next few years will be getting some help for college via the Equal Justice Initiative.

Montgomery Public Schools announced that EJI will give $10,000 college scholarships to various graduates over the next three years.

School leaders will identify “Legacy Scholars” at each area public high school to receive a $10,000 college scholarship at graduation beginning this May. Next year, EJI plans to provide more scholarships to students who participate in essay contests that involve reflections on the information presented at the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

“We are very excited to support the dreams of area students who are working hard and aspire to succeed. I graduated from a public high school after laws mandating racial integration made a high school degree possible,” said EJI Director Bryan Stevenson. “Different challenges exist today but there are still barriers to education for many deserving students that we want to help eliminate. I continue to believe that education is key to the health and strength of our community.”

MPS says Superintendent Melvin Brown and EJI leadership have been developing ways that the two institutions could provide more opportunities to teachers, staff and students, with these scholarships being a result of those discussions.

MPS says staff and teachers will also work with EJI on a range of issues and topics to address.

“Our partnership with EJI has already proved to be invaluable, and the Legacy Scholars initiative will have a huge impact on the lives of some very deserving students. Our goal is to provide equity, access and opportunity to all our students, and EJI is helping us achieve that objective,” Brown said.

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