Anne Geggis
A scholarship that memorializes the victims of the 1920 Ocoee massacre would be expanded to private schools under a bill that two Orange County Democratic lawmakers are proposing.
Sen. Geraldine Thompson of Windemere and Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis of Ocoee have filed similar, companion legislation (SB 926, HB 249) that would allow recipients of the $6,100 scholarship to apply the money to tuition at the state’s three private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Currently, scholarship recipients are limited to using the money at the state’s public institutions of higher learning.
Thompson said the legislation is a response to the current, official purge of diversity practices and tighter restrictions on history lessons now underway at the state’s education institutions. All but one of the state’s HBCUs, Florida A&M University, is a private school.
“To be very candid, in today’s political climate, where you have prohibitions against programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), maybe students feel unwelcome at some of our higher educational institutions in Florida, and they are choosing to go to HBCUs where they feel that they will be valued,” Thompson said.
Passage of the legislation would mean that the scholarship money could pay for tuition at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Edward Waters University in Jacksonville and Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.
African American students who reside in Ocoee are eligible for the scholarship as are descendants of those affected in the Election Day violence that left “dozens” of Black residents dead and their homes burned, according to a University of Central Florida article.
The scholarship, available to 50 students and formally known as the Randolph Bracy Ocoee Scholarship Program, was started in 2021. It’s named for the former Senator now mounting a Primary challenge against Thompson for her seat.
Thompson’s co-sponsor for the House version of the bill is Randolph Bracy’s sister. Thompson said the bill was already in the works before she heard about the challenge. And she still doesn’t understand what prompted it, Thompson said.
“I called him, he did not answer, so I left a message because I wanted to know what bills I had filed, what positions I’d taken, what I had advocated for that he was unable to support,” Thompson said. “And even until this very moment as we speak, I’ve not heard from him.”
Still, Thompson is all in for expanding the use of the scholarship. She said she’s heard from parents and students who would like to take the money to the private HBCUs.
“I worked hard as a member of the House of Representatives to get the bill passed initially and as the Senate sponsor of this bill, I am excited about the opportunity for students who choose to attend HBCUs to take advantage of these dollars.” Thompson said.
Bracy Davis agrees., according to a news release.
“We recognize the intrinsic value and unique educational environments provided by private institutions, particularly Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Bracy Davis said in a prepared statement. “Thus, the essence of our expansion program is to encompass this important sector of higher education.”
