

“Her decorated legacy as a trailblazing Black woman in both the legislative environment and within the Civil Rights Movement demonstrates the importance of paving a path for the normalization of Black women excellence in society,” Ashton said.

Roundtree lived to be 104 and, before she died, wrote an autobiography titled “Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights.”įor first-year student Paige Delaney Ashton, receiving a scholarship named in honor of Roundtree holds a great deal of significance.

After her discharge from the Army, she attended Howard University Law School and in 1955, she argued a case before the interstate commerce commission that led to the desegregation of interstate bus travel in the United States. She went on to become one of the first Black officers in the corps. “We hope our support of this scholarship will encourage more institutions to reverse generations of inequity in our country by supporting initiatives at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”Īfter earning her degree from Spelman, Roundtree broke gender boundaries when she became one of the first women to enter the Women’s Army Military Corps during World War II. As proponents of education reform with a deep interest in social equity and education, we believe that one of the best way to support the next generation of Americans is through the education of future Black women leaders,” said Quillin and Hastings. “We are excited to learn more about the inaugural group of bright, accomplished Dovey Johnson Roundtree Presidential Scholars. Over the next 10 years, the funding will cover scholarships for a total of 200 first-year Spelman students.įrom competitive athletes to members of the National Honor Society, the first group of 20 students selected to become Roundtree Scholars possess impressive resumes that include internships, community service projects and academic achievements. The $120 million gift to all three institutions represents the largest ever contribution by an individual in support of scholarships at HBCUs. The couple awarded $40M each to Morehouse College and the United Negro College Fund. Quillin and Hastings announced their decision to make a historic donation to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities, awarding $40 million to Spelman in June.
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“We deeply appreciate Patty Quillin and Reed Hastings for such an affirming gift that enables us to extend the opportunity to study at Spelman debt free to such stellar students.” Roundtree,” said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman. “The Dovey Johnson Roundtree Scholars represent the essence of intellectual curiosity, determination and hard work, attributes present in the life and accomplishments of Ms. Twenty outstanding first-year students were selected to receive the four-year scholarships, which will cover tuition, room and board.

Named for Spelman alumna and civil rights activist Dovey Johnson Roundtree, C’38, the scholarships are funded by a $40 million gift from philanthropists Patty Quillin and her spouse, Reed Hastings, co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Netflix. (404) : ( July 22, 2020) - Spelman College recently announced its first cohort of students selected to receive the Dovey Johnson Roundtree, C’38, Presidential Scholarship.
