CIILS Scholarship Fund

Lucinda, Cofus, Sarah, and the other enslaved were brief mentions in a deed of trust dated May the 12, 1834, in the clerk's office of Nelson County, it reads: Campbell hath granted, bargained, and sold by these presents doth give, grant, bargain, and sell unto the said Edmund F. Coffee and Powhatan Parrish the following real and personal property to wit: 200 acres of land on Elk Creek, a branch of the Tye River in the adjoining lands of the estate of John Demasters and all others, also one location or entry made for fifty acres adjoining the above tract hereby conveyed, also one negro woman named Lucinda and her two children, Cofus and Sarah, also one big mare and colt, four head of cattle, ten head of hogs, and all the household and kitchen furniture of every description and plantation utensils and the increase of the slaves and stock and every part and portion thereof, to have and to hold the same and every part and portion thereof free from the claims of all persons or persons whomsoever. While the foundation doesn't have more information about Lucinda, Cofus, Sarah, and the two unnamed slaves found in an 1850's census, their humanness, and suffering while enslaved, and the sanctity of their lives must be remembered and cherished.

The CIILS Scholarship Foundation is a memorial fund dedicated to the five black people enslaved by the Campbell family in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. Lucinda, the mother, and her children Cofus and Sarah, along with two who are unnamed were forced to work for the Campbell family until freed on June 19th, 1865. This fund is to serve college-bound seniors and returning adult students, who are Black or Native Americans and reside in Virginia. This scholarship will provide two $500 scholarships annually in hopes of uplifting individuals in marginalized communities in Virginia.