Applications open for 10 Reparations Scholarships

Eligibility has been expanded for the unique Reparations Scholarships from the Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan. They continue to be open to graduating high school seniors, but now nontraditional students can apply — including those having earned their high school diploma or GED previously.

This is the Justice League’s second annual essay contest in support of addressing the racial wealth gap through education. Ten $2,500 Reparations Scholarships will be awarded, a total of $25,000.

“The Justice League Advisory Council members want to make the program more accessible to and inclusive of their community,” said Prince Solace, president, Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan.

Other eligibility requirements remain the same. Applicants must:

• begin their higher education fall 2025 at an accredited college, university or trade school.
• be a descendant of an enslaved African American.
• be a resident of Ingham, Eaton or Clinton counties.

Apply at JusticeLeagueGLM.org/apply . The deadline is Friday, May 9, 2025.

Recipients will be selected based on their 500-word essay that examines how the racial wealth gap or generational wealth in America has affected their family.

Solace said, “The Reparations Scholarship Program is a cornerstone of our efforts to mend the historical injustices stemming from slavery and its lasting impact. Educational empowerment for descendants of enslaved African Americans fosters a future where racial justice and faith converge to support academic achievement. Offering financial assistance is essential for enabling access to that higher education.”

Justice League defines descendants of enslaved Africans as individuals who are the third generation to have been born in the U.S. — the applicant, a parent and a grandparent.

Solace noted that most Black adults in the U.S. are descendants of enslaved African Americans — well over 80% per U.S. Census Bureau 2020 — and learn of their history through family stories. This is partially because it is nearly impossible to trace African American ancestry. Enslaved African Americans were not recorded by name prior to 1870. Slave schedules were used in 1850 and 1860 as population counts separate from the federal censuses. Enslaved people were recorded as property by numbers, not names.

Solace said, “The ‘three-generation’ definition helps students quickly determine eligibility. Their families have felt the detriments of systemic and structural racism that are the aftermath of the sin of slavery. This has prevented them from building generational wealth and hits to the core of our mission.”

The Justice League’s endowed Reparations Fund was built primarily by reparations payments from churches. The churches have taken a proactive approach to social justice and have acknowledged they have benefited from collective misbelief in white supremacy and other results of slavery.

More information is at justiceleagueglm.org/apply where entries can be uploaded, and an application can be downloaded for email or USPS mail entry. A flyer is also available for download.

About Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan

The 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization was founded in 2021 to repair the breach in Greater Lansing caused by the nation’s historical damage of slavery. Reparations are in the spirit of repentance for the sin of slavery, its aftermath of gross human rights violations — including genocide, violence, land theft, incarceration and police violence — and complicity in the misbelief of white supremacy.

The solution is a faith-based model of reparations. The Justice League builds relationships and facilitates reparations between houses of worship, collaborative partners and individuals to close the racial wealth gap that exists between Black and white residents. This specifically means increasing wealth equity for descendants of enslaved African Americans. Financial reparations will support home ownership, education and entrepreneurship. More information is at JusticeLeagueGLM.org.