by Maquisha Ford Mullins, PhD, Interim Director, Integrated Marketing & Public Relations
Oakwood University answered the challenge issued by President Dr. Scott Hagen of North Central University in Minneapolis, MN to establish a George Floyd Memorial Scholarship to support students. During the funeral service held on June 4, 2020, for Mr. Floyd, Hagen was quoted by Forbes.com as saying, “I am now challenging every university president in the United States to establish your own George Floyd Memorial Scholarship Fund.”
“What better way to memorialize Mr. George Floyd than to rally donors to his memory and bless some young man with the gift of education! Oakwood accepts the responsibility for guaranteeing that Mr. Floyd did not die in vain’” said Dr. Leslie Pollard, President of Oakwood University. President Pollard issued a statement on May 31, 2020 addressing Floyd’s death.
An HBCU, historically Black college university, Oakwood was established by the Seventh-day Adventist church in 1896 to educate Blacks for self-sufficiency and spiritual transformation. The scholarship is being established at Oakwood University in memory of George Floyd and to honor his life by supporting students pursuing higher education in preparation for a life of service. To donate to this fund visit https://give.oakwood.edu/george-floyd-memorial-scholarship/ .
