A native of Boston, Ms. Batson has been prominent in the battle against racism, having served as commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and representing the NAACP and leading the challenge to the Boston Public School system for educational equality for African American students city-wide.  In 1966, Ms. Batson co-founded the first voluntary school desegregation program of urban/suburban exchange in the Commonwealth, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO).  Also, Ms. Batson was the executive director of the Museum of Afro-American History and the nation's first black female major stockholder of a locally owned major-market radio station.  In 1990, the Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement at Bridgewater State College (HOBA) presented Ms. Batson with the Mary Hudson Onley Award.

Established in 2002, the Ruth Batson Scholarship is given to a student of African descent who is in good academic standing and entering his/her junior or senior year.

Award: $375.00
 

Artist and educator, Dr. Robert A. Daniel was the first African-American faculty member of the Education Department at Bridgewater State University.  A distinguished member of the campus community for three decades (1959-1989), Dr. Daniel was committed to improving race relations at the college and helped pave the way for other people of color to become part of the Bridgewater family. Dr. Daniel was one of the originators of the Afro-American Award established in 1973.  Upon his retirement, the award was renamed the Dr. Robert A. Daniel African-American Scholarship.  In his retirement, he continues to be an active member of the Monotype Guild of New England, the New England Water Color Society, the South Shore Art Center and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).  In 2003, the Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement at Bridgewater State College (HOBA) presented Dr. Daniel with the Mary Hudson Onley Award along with his daughter Dr. Beverly Daniel-Tatum, President of Spelman College.

Established in 2000, the Dr. Robert A. Daniel African-American Scholarship presents two annual scholarships.  The first is presented to a senior student of African-American descent who has achieved the highest academic average during his or her years as an undergraduate student, and the second to a sophomore student who has demonstrated the most significant improvement in academic performance over his or her freshman year.

Award: $900.00
 

Mr. Gaines established the Afro-American Society and PROGRESS, helping students with difficulty in the residence halls and talking to professors about changing attitudes. His titles kept changing, from director of PROGRESS to director of minority affairs to assistant to the president for affirmative action and minority affairs, but his job was basically the same, make sure each student, regardless of color or race, has a fair chance at an equal education.

Established in 2001 by the Afro-American Alumni Association, the Paul L. Gaines Scholarship is presented to an undergraduate student making satisfactory progress.  Preference is given to Black, Cape Verdean and Hispanic students of African descent from Massachusetts or Rhode Island who are majoring in Education and preparing for careers in Teaching or Counseling.

Award: $750.00
 

Prof. Henry Jose Santos, retired Professor of Music at Bridgewater State University, has studied and performed the works of classicist in the United States and Europe.  Among his many performances are those at Jordan Hall, Harvard University with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, and in New York, Philadelphia and Lugano, Switzerland.  He was also selected to perform the winning composition with the Chilean Symphony Orchestra in Santiago, Chile and was a finalist in the Gottschalk Competition for Pianist and Composers sponsored by the Pan American Association.  Prof. Santos completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the School of Fine Arts and Applied Arts, Boston University.  Prior to his 1971 appointment at Bridgewater State College, he taught piano at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts for 18 years.  During his tenure with the Music Dept. at Bridgewater State College, Prof. Santos was one of the originators and supporters of the Dr. Robert A. Daniel Scholarship, was a founding Commissioner of the Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement, has lectured throughout the Commonwealth about the history and influence of African Americans in jazz and other forms of music and has established an annual summer piano institute at Bridgewater State University for students from the surrounding cities and towns.

Established in 2003 by the Afro-American Alumni Association, the Professor Henry Santos Scholarship is given to assist a Black, Cape Verdean or Hispanic student of African descent who is entering his/her junior year with a 3.0 grade point average.  This student must be a Massachusetts resident who is majoring in either Special or Elementary education.  Native Americans will also be eligible.

Award:  To Be Determined
 

The Jerrol J. Toledo Memorial Scholarship benefits a deserving sophomore or junior student with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.  The candidate should possess the following: demonstrated leadership skills, involvement in community service, unselfishness, and a strong determination to celebrate diversity.  The candidate should also have promoted a sense of brotherhood/sisterhood among students at Bridgewater State University.  Preference will be given to a student of African-American descent, who is a graduate of Brockton High School.

Award:  $450

The scholarship benefits a financially deserving student of African-American, Cape Verdean or Latino descent who has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above. Consideration will be given to all undergraduate students, and transfer students with a minimum of 24 credits earned at BSU, who exemplify the following personal characteristics: demonstrated dedication to helping others by making their lives better in some way as evidenced by campus, community and/or workplace involvements, strong leadership abilities, an awareness of how to take initiative and build consensus for a cause and a sense of continued contribution to the BSU community through personal integrity.

The Afro-American Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Director of Alumni Relations will review applications and select the recipient.

 Award: $1,000