Cynthia Hayes Sholarship Opens
Published: Friday, April 7, 2023
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, in partnership with The Southeastern African American Farmers' Organic Network, and Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) announced on Monday that applications are now being accepted for the annual scholarship in memory of the late Cynthia Hayes, co-founder and former director of SAAFON.
The scholarship welcomes Black and Indigenous MANRRS-registered students interested in sustainable agriculture and how it affects Black farmer communities and food justice in the United States to apply.
"We look forward to offering this opportunity to three outstanding student leaders who embody Cynthia's legacy through their passion for Black agrarianism and sustainable agriculture. Scholarship alumni have gone on to work at organizations like Practical Farmers of Iowa, Young Farmers, and the New Virginia Majority. We are excited to continue this tradition for the sixth year," said Kelsey Watson, NSAC Grassroots co-director.
This year, three students (one graduate and two undergraduate students) will receive $5,000 scholarship awards each towards the 2023-2024 academic year, along with opportunities to engage with sustainable agriculture advocates and practitioners. Applications are open until May 12, To apply, visit sustainableagriculture.net and search Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship.
Scholarship eligibility requirements:
• This scholarship is open to students who self-identify as Black and/or Indigenous
• Students should have an interest in grassroots organizing, movement building, or agricultural policy and a commitment to promoting racial equity in our food and farm system
• Students must be a MANRRS member (either independent or university-affiliated) enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, seeking a degree
• Applicants must be a student in good standing (2.5 minimum GPA)
PhD students are not eligible to apply
Cynthia Hayes founded the first network for African American organic farmers in the U.S. and dedicated her life to serving these communities. Spending time on her grandmother's farm in Kentucky as a young person, she learned about her family's history of over 80 years of tobacco farming. This laid the foundation for the work she would spend her life doing.
Hayes went on to work in non-profits in the Bay Area, using her talents to support grant writing efforts and working in group homes before relocating with her husband to Jamaica where she began working directly with farmers. In 2000 Cynthia moved to Savannah, Ga. where her work centered on land, environmental justice and the plight of African American farmers.
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