Emerging Black Scholars Program Expansion

Income inequality

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

LA County data shows that approximately 30 percent of Angelenos live in areas of concentrated disadvantage, and Fuller would be delighted to partner with the Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050 to advance your mission to remove barriers to well-being and serve those most impacted by income inequality by offering scholarships to 12 Emerging Black Scholars from low-income backgrounds. With your partnership, we will reduce income inequality and contribute to the flourishing of Black communities and LA County.
Fuller is highly qualified to train and equip Los Angeles County’s leaders since it is ethnically and denominationally diverse, and 66 percent of our students are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Fuller’s vibrant variety prepares BIPOC leaders that are uniquely poised to have catalytic and transformational effects on their communities within a context that is contemporary and relevant to Los Angeles County, and steeped in Black history and the gospel.

The Emerging Black Scholars Program offers indispensable formational education that creates equality by offering graduate level scholarships and empowering Black students to become interculturally competent leaders in their contexts. These leaders will address racial disparities in our communities, and improve quality of life for BIPOC Angelenos in Los Angeles County. The Emerging Black Scholars Program is an academically rigorous program that began in 2020. This one-year formational cohort features leading Black scholars and practitioners such as Dr. Donta Morrison, formerly of APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles), psychologist and professor Dr. Christin Fort, and allows students to engage in research, writing, a practicum, and a cultural enrichment tour of Los Angeles. The cultural enrichment tour will begin with the multicultural origins of Olvera Street, the stories of the Hall of Justice Jail, the heritage of Little Tokyo and the Japanese American Memorial, the commemoration of the fight for freedom at the Biddie Mason Memorial Park, and the history of the Angel’s Flight Railway. Students also learn about the Azusa Street Revival at the Bonnie Brae House, enjoy the natural landscape of Ladera Park, witness the luxury of Black Beverly Hills, and shop at the African American commercial center on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Additionally, students will meet and share their voices with local legislators, network, and discover LA County organizations to partner with vocationally.

Pannell Center will multiply the number of Black graduate students, increase earning potential, and form 25 Black ministry and business leaders annually who will transform BIPOC communities and LA County.
Higher education reduces income inequality since, according to research published in Forbes magazine, those with graduate degrees will earn approximately $1.7 million more throughout their lifetimes than those with a high school diploma. Our program helps to elevate students spiritually, vocationally, and financially. Additionally, Fuller integrates theology and psychology, and studies such as “On the promotion of human flourishing” by UCLA show that connection with a religious community leads to longevity and better quality of life. Our program also operates in partnership with the School of Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy (SoPMFT) which recently achieved the highest ranking among Christian integrative clinical psychology programs by the US News and World Report.

The Emerging Black Scholars Program began in 2020, and all 12 members of the inaugural cohort have graduated and become successful ministry and business leaders. We evaluate the success of our program both qualitatively and quantitatively through traditional grading methods and persistence outcomes for the program.
It is more important than ever to scale our program and focus on the spiritual formation and resiliency of leaders who can view justice through a spirit-filled lens to advocate and achieve income equality and success for BIPOC Angelenos. By 2050, we intend to scale our work to engage 25 Emerging Black Scholars annually who will become interculturally competent leaders who are well-informed as well as socially and politically engaged with Los Angeles County’s leaders as BIPOC advocates. High quality and articulate leaders are essential advocates for systemic shifts that will lead to greater opportunity, income equity, and a healthy, thriving and equitable LA County.