🚨 FAMILY MOVES $1 MILLION SCHOLARSHIP FROM UNCW TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY |
The SouthSide Signal Exclusive |
A prominent Black family has decided to withdraw a $1 million scholarship endowment from the University of North Carolina Wilmington after the school said it could no longer preserve language prioritizing students committed to serving the African American community. The scholarship was created to honor Dr. Leroy Upperman, a respected physician and educator whose legacy was deeply rooted in service, education and uplifting Black communities. According to the family, UNCW’s new direction follows the UNC System’s anti-DEI “Equality Policy,” which prevents the university from maintaining the scholarship’s original mission. Instead of changing the purpose of the fund, the family chose to move the endowment to Howard University, where Dr. Upperman earned his medical degree. Students currently receiving the scholarship will continue to be supported through graduation. The family’s message is clear: Dr. Upperman’s legacy is not negotiable. 📡 The SouthSide Signal #SouthSideSignal #HowardUniversity #UNCW #Scholarship #BlackEducation #BlackLegacy #DEI #HigherEducation #CommunityService |
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Some things aren't worth saving if you have to hollow them out to do it.
UNCW had a chance to do right and didn't. Now they've got to live with that.
Rooting for every student who was already in that scholarship program. Glad they're still covered.
The DEI rollbacks are having real financial consequences for these schools. Just saying.
This family showed you can honor someone without compromising what they believed in.
What I want to know is how many other families are quietly doing the same thing and just not making news.
Legacies outlast policies. Always have.
As an alum of an HBCU I can say Howard will take care of that endowment the right way.
The legacy is not negotiable. That line says everything.
This policy is costing these schools more than they probably calculated.
A million dollars is a real statement. This isn't a small gesture from the family.
Dr. Upperman's name belongs somewhere that shares his values. Howard is the right home.
Wonder if UNCW even tried to negotiate or just sent a letter and called it a day.
Built for a purpose, and that purpose didn't change. The university did.
The part about current students still being supported says a lot about this family's character.
Howard University didn't have to do much to earn a million dollars. UNCW handed it right to them.
Not surprised at all. The UNC system has been making moves like this for a while now.
This is what happens when policy ignores people. Families take their generosity elsewhere.
Legacy protected. That's all that matters here.
A million dollars walking out the door should tell UNCW something.
Curious how many other scholarships are getting quietly gutted under this same policy.
Good. Let Howard have it. They'll honor it the way it was meant to be honored.
Dr. Upperman built something real. That don't just get redirected because a policy changed.
Howard gains, UNCW loses. Simple as that.
The family did exactly right. You don't let somebody rewrite what your loved one stood for.