The Dr. Doretha Pressey Southern Scholars Initiative was born out of the unbearable agony and debilitating sense of grief that envelops a family when the center of their lives is taken away from them unexpectedly and without warning.  George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all of the other black men and women who have died as a result of racial hatred, have become catalysts for change in this country and indeed across the globe.

 

But, it is critically important to remember that before they became icons and symbols, they were fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews.  While we can never know exactly how the families of these young men and women are feeling, what we do know is that they are hurting, they are in pain, and they need support. 

​

One way of providing this support is to join the Pressey family in making a personal contribution to one of fundraising campaigns that has been developed for the express purpose of helping the families of the victims.  Please scroll below for a list of these campaigns.

 

Southern Scholars’ mission is to provide black students from low-income communities in the rural South with the tools they need to successfully obtain a college degree and prosper in their chosen careers.  It is clearer now than ever before however, that a good education and a degree cannot shield our Scholars from the insidious effects of racism and the very real possibility of death at the hands of those who are supposed to serve and protect them.

​

For this reason, we are in the process of forging partnerships and relationships with organizations in our service areas and nationwide that are focused on the issues of racial justice and civil rights.  As a Southern Scholars supporter, you have shown and proven through your words, actions, and donations that equality is important to you.  We acknowledge and appreciate you for your allyship and for your desire to be a part of the solution.  If you’d like to do even more, please scroll below.  We have compiled a list of resources to help you learn more, get involved, and take meaningful action against injustice.

 

In the words of  W.E.B. Du Bois, “You and I can never be satisfied with sitting down before a great human problem and saying nothing can be done. We must do something. That is the reason we are here on Earth.”

 

Let’s get about the business of doing something,

 

-The Southern Scholars Family