Amelia Boynton and S.W. Boynton Scholarship

"A Voteless people is a hopeless people.". This timeless quote from Amelia Boynton Robinson rings true and holds the same weight as it did over sixty years ago. Amelia Boynton Robinson and her Husband Samuel were American trailblazers, who fought for the civil equality and advancement of our community. The two fought for property and education rights, hosted voting registration drives, and acted as benefactors for black scholars, artists, and civil leaders from all walks of life. A graduate of the esteemed Tuskegee institute and starting her early career as a traveling teacher for the state of Alabama, Amelia knew that she would be instrumental in uplifting and empowering her kin. During a time when it was nearly impossible for black Americans to vote, Amelia was not only one of the courageous eight who bravely launched the fight for voting and economic rights in Selma, but she also successfully registered herself to vote, an extraordinary feat. Later on, Amelia ran for a seat in the House of Representatives and became the first black women to run for office in Alabama and the first women to run as a Democrat in the state. Amelia worked hand in hand with Dr. King to mobilize protests in Selma. Amelia and Samuel's stories have ignited a fire within me to not only educate my family and my community about them, but to actually create action and bolster voting turnout in my community. Going forward, I plan to read and learn more about the civil right players who nearly died for the freedom and liberation my community and I have today. I currently work with the Institute of Politics at my school now and discuss and collaborate with other minority students on topics such as the ones the Boynton's dedicated their lives to. I plan to continue to work with the Institute and continue to have these conversations around the importance of voting. With 2020 setting the record for Black voter turnout with 30 million Black Americans eligible to vote, there's still close to 12 million Black citizens who didn't vote. With the turmoil present in America today, it's a definitive fact that every vote counts. Black Americans have been systematically punished in America for as long as history books will tell, and we need leaders like the Boynton's once again to advocate for our communities. I hope to be the advocate. Im passionate about closing the ever growing wage gap between Black and White Americans and hope, in the near future, to create an action plan to address the issue. Every young black American should know the revere the names of Amelia Boynton Robinson and Samuel William Boynton and the importance they played in the civil rights movement. The two embody black excellence and keeping them in mind, I hope to follow in their footsteps with making a difference in my community. Amelia said, "You can never know where you are going unless you know where you have been.", and seeing where they laid the foundation, I now have a better understanding for the path going forward.