LI Episcopal Diocese: College scholarships for slavery's descendants

The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is addressing the sins of slavery with its own reparations effort — college scholarships for up to $5,000 per semester for area students descended from slaves.

The scholarships and the diocese’s new Reparations Committee are steps toward transforming the Episcopal Church into an “anti-racist church and to work toward healing, reconciliation, and a restoration of wholeness to the family of God,” the diocese said in a statement.

A good portion of the effort's $1 million fund comes from the recent sale of a diocese property, church officials said.

“The scholarships are offered to support children from families who were disenfranchised by the racist policies of real estate red-lining and discriminatory hiring practices within the area of our diocese,” said Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, head of the diocese.

“This is an essential step, as we seek to address the long-practiced sin of racism that has existed in our midst,” he said.

The “Barbara C. Harris Scholars Program” is open to both African American and Caribbean American students who are descendants of enslaved people. 

Applicants must be either high school seniors or students currently enrolled in an accredited college or vocational school, and reside within the diocese, which includes Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn and Queens. The deadline is April 22 and applicants do not have to be Episcopalian.

Provenzano will present the scholarships at the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City on June 19, which marks Juneteenth, the now-federal holiday commemorating the day when slavery ended in the United States.

Students must submit a completed application, high school transcripts and two letters of recommendation to HarrisScholars@dioceseli.org. The diocese is still determining how many scholarships will be awarded, and hopes to make it an annual event.

“We know that reparations must include more than scholarships," said Penny Allen Grinage, chair of the Reparations Committee. "Reparations can take numerous forms, such as settlements, land-based compensations, apologies and truth-telling."

“However," she added, "this scholarship is a great start in helping to level the playing field for those who have been disadvantaged due to the color of their skin."

Provenzano said the scholarships are a manifestation of his church's teachings.

"This is not about our just being nice. It’s not about left-leaning liberals," he said. "This really is about the gospel and taking the gospel message and in very practical ways making it work in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged and treated as less.”

The scholarship program is named after the Rev. Barbara C. Harris, a descendant of slaves who was the first female bishop in the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion. 

Harris, who died in 2020 at age 90 and served as bishop in Massachusetts, was also a civil rights activist, teacher, leader and visionary known for her advocacy for women, Black people, and the LGBTQ community, the diocese said, adding that Harris had a “historical impact on the Episcopal Church."

Provenzano said much of the initial money that funds the scholarships comes from the recent sale of St. Matthias parish in North Bellmore. The church's congregation for decades was mainly African American.

“We’re really proud to be able to get this [program] off the ground,” Provenzano said.