My heart was full at the recent ceremony announcing the first recipients of the Williamsburg Descendant Scholarship program. It had been four years since Williamsburg City Council members voted unanimously to establish the first-ever Williamsburg Truth and Reconciliation Committee.

It was a bold step! The seeds were planted in 2020 during the height of national social unrest that occurred on the heels of the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. City leaders recognized that their community needed to heal. However, they were not looking for a quick fix. They sought out a solution that would have a generational impact.

The Descendant Scholarship program was one of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Through this program, scholarship recipient

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