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The Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2026-2027 scholarships—the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation Scholarship and the Voices Today for Change Tomorrow scholarship, as well as two additional scholarships.  The Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation's Board of Directors, Lillie Tyson Head, President, and Juan Macon, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, are pleased to award a total of $88,000.00 to sixteen descendants.

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation honors and remembers the legacies of the 625 African American men who were victims in the United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male at Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama, 1932–1972.  Since 2017, Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation has awarded a total of $167,000.00 in scholarships to descendants with the intent of lifting up 625 new voices in the fields of bioethics and health sciences, expand the ethics of care, and create a new tapestry of hope, healing and trust.

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation scholarships were awarded to fourteen descendants, totaling $49,000.00.  These scholarships were made possible with support from the Milbank Memorial Fund.  Scholarships are offered to descendants who are graduating high school seniors who have applied and been accepted at an accredited two- or four-year higher education institution.  All applicants must have maintained a 2.7 point, and better, grade point average and have thoroughly completed the scholarship application.

In addition, two descendants were awarded the Voices Today for Change Tomorrow scholarships, for a combined total of $38,000.  These awards were made possible with support from the CDC Foundation and its donors.  Awarded the second time this year, these competitive scholarships are available to descendants pursuing graduate studies with a demonstrated commitment to serving as medical care providers, physician scientists, clinical leaders, medical educators, public health experts, and advocates for rural and urban under-served populations.  Joyce Pollard Williams and Neal Crutcher Scholarships are made possible by private donations and the Foundation.

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation welcomes individuals and funding partners to join us in building this legacy of supporting future generations of study descendants.

2026-2027 Scholarship Winners

The Foundation is pleased to announce the following descendants who were awarded a total of $61,500 for the 2026-2027 scholarship year.

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation Announces
2026–2027 Scholarship Recipients

TUSKEGEE, AL — The Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation has officially announced its scholarship recipients for the 2026–2027 academic year.  A total of $61,500 in financial aid was awarded to 16 students spanning incoming college freshmen, undergraduates, graduate students, and health professions candidates.

The awards were presented across four key categories:

●    Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation Scholarships – Jamel Forte, Janice Gaines, Xiansezelle Grace, Isaiah Hoofe, Raven Melvin, Cornelius Pace, Jamyra Patrick, Gabrielle Robinson, Jade Sistrunk, Jaden Sistrunk, Zerryn Sistrunk, Jade Thomas, Kellie Whitlow, and Devin Williams

●    Voices Today for Change Tomorrow Scholarship – Monica Christian and Sabrina Williams, CDC Foundation

●    Joyce Pollard Williams Community Service Scholarship – Jamal Forte and Raven Melvin

●    Crutcher Neal Mentor Scholarship – Cornelius Pace

"We are proud to support these outstanding scholars as they pursue higher education and carry forward the legacies of their families," said Lillie Tyson Head, President of the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation. The announcement was made by Juan Macon, Scholarship Committee Chairperson.

The Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation was created by descendants of the men who were morally and unethically impacted by the United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male at Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama 1932 to 1972. The Foundation's mission is to honor and preserve history and the legacies of the 625 men involved in the study.  In alignment with this mission, scholarships are awarded exclusively to verified descendants pursuing higher education.

Milbank Memorial Fund and the CDC Foundation helped make these scholarship awards possible in partnership with Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation.