U of Florida’s Law School Receives $1.1 Million Gift To Fund Scholarships For HBCU Grads

In tribute to the late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, a Florida real estate developer has given $1.1 million to the University of Florida’s (UF) law school to fund scholarships for at least five graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) each year, reports the Herald-Tribune.

“Congressman Lewis used every day of his life to help this nation live up to the ideals of equality and justice for all,” said the donor Hugh Culverhouse Jr. “He knew that we could not be complacent, that racial justice demands continual dialogue and struggle. This scholarship fund will provide graduates of HBCUs with the tools necessary to unlock the full potential of our great Constitution.”

According to the Herald-Tribune, Culverhouse’s “transformational gift” will expand an already-existing scholarship program founded by UF law school graduate Yolanda Cash Jackson, who saw it as “a vehicle for Black UF Law alumni to support greater diversity in the legal profession.”