WILLIAMSBURG — The new Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship, created to address the disparities caused by the generational effects of racism, has named its first recipients.

At an Aug. 2 celebration, the first class of Descendants Scholars — Tasja Bartlett, Corniya Taylor, Brandon Freeman, and Nasir Simms — were recognized by City of Williamsburg leaders and members of the Williamsburg Truth and Reconciliation Committee, who championed the Scholarship’s creation.

According to the Williamsburg Community Foundation, the Williamsburg Descendants Scholarship program provides financial assistance for degree or certificate programs to residents of greater Williamsburg with Black ancestors who lived in the Williamsburg area prior to 1964 — the year that the Civil Rights Act was enacted.

“It to

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