Thurgood Marshall College Fund president will speak at conference in Kigali

July 30, 2024

Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) President and CEO Dr. Harry L. Williams will speak at the Aegis Trust conference in Kigali, Rwanda on July 27. Dr. Williams will discuss TMCF’s efforts to support college education for descendants of slavery.

TMCF administers the scholarship program created by the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation, which awards up to $10,000 per year to eligible students.

“It is an honor to share the story of our partnership with Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation to administer aid for higher education to the descendants of the 272 enslaved men, women and children, known as the GU272, who were sold to help pay off the debts of the institution,” Dr. Williams said. “This story is a great example of how the process of racial justice and healing can begin.”

Dr. Williams will be joined in Rwanda by international scholars, educators, policy makers and more at the conference dedicated to the art and science of peace, resilience and transformational justice. This calendar year also marks 30 years since the genocide against the Tutsi and the country’s emergence from devastation.

The conference takes place July 25-28 and includes the launch and ribbon cutting of the Isoko Peace Institute, sessions on leadership development for peacemaking and justice, and a world report on preventing genocide and mass atrocities.

The Aegis Trust is an organization dedicated to preventing genocide and mass atrocities worldwide.

About the Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member schools include the publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Community Colleges, and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending Black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs. TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit www.tmcf.org.

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