By Karen Sloan, From The National Law Journal

Correction: The headline for this article has been change to clarify that the NAACP Legal Defense Fund grants the scholarships.

U.S. Rep. James Clyburn. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. David Coar, a former judge of the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois. Those are just a few of the leaders who benefited by various NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund scholarships during the past 50 years.

Now the organization is overhauling its law student scholarship program, increasing the amount of grants and providing substantive civil rights training. The changes come as the organization celebrates its 75th anniversary of leveraging the law in pursuit of racial justice and education.

The Earl Warren Scholarship— launched in 1971 and named for the former chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who presided over the seminal school desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education—has increased from $9,000 to $30,000, although the organization will limit recipients to five each year, down from about 15.

The boost in dollar amount represents “a big leap forward,” said Joon Bang, the fund’s manager for programs. “We recognize that education costs are rising, and we want to make sure our scholars are on the path to pursue racial justice. We want to support the next generation of civil rights leaders.”

Starting next year, Earl Warren scholarship recipients will have the option to complete an internship or conduct a guided research project through the organization. Additionally, they may attend the organization’s Civil Rights Training Institute—an annual two-day conference for scholars and civil rights advocates. Scholars will be on the forefront of the fund’s legal work, Bang said.

Thus far in 2015, the fund has represented New York City public housing residents in a class action against the New York Police Department over allegedly racist stops and arrests; defended a district court ruling against a voter ID law in Texas before a federal appellate court; and advocated for the long-stalled confirmation of U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“With the current wave of police killings of unarmed African Americans, the deliberate effort to disenfranchise minority voters and the discriminatory practices that cripple the chances for quality education for those most in need, today’s challenges demand that we use every resource—particularly human resource—to turn the tide,” organization president and director Sherrilyn Ifill said in a written statement.

The Earl Warren scholarships are open to prospective students who have taken the Law School Admission Test and are applying to schools, as well as first-year law students. The deadline to apply is June 30.

“We’re looking for students who have an ongoing and demonstrated commitment to racial justice, and who are passionate about the work the Legal Defense Fund is doing,” Bang said. “We want to support law students who are passionate about making the United States better.”

Contact Karen Sloan at [email protected]. For more of The National Law Journal’s law school coverage, visit: http://www.facebook.com/NLJLawSchools

IMAGE: Sherrilyn Ifill. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/NLJ

For more on this story go to: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202728159261/Legal-Defense-Fund-Boosts-Grants-in-Law-Student-Scholarship-Program#ixzz3c0dsifFD