The CDC Foundation has announced the launch of an endowed scholarship program for descendants of the Black men who were part of the U.S. Public Health Service Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee.

Fueled by a $1 million matching gift from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Voices Today for Change Tomorrow program aims to provide $100,000 in merit scholarships annually to the study’s descendants through the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation.

In addition, the fund will provide administrative support as needed for the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation and the scholarship program. Recipients of the merit-based scholarships will be encouraged, but not required, to attend a historically Black college or university (HBCU). The CDC Foundation is working to raise a $5 million endowment to support the scholarships.

The Tuskegee Study, conducted between 1932 and 1972, is widely considered one of the largest medical ethics violations in U.S. history; 625 Black men were denied treatment while being observed as their illness progressed.

“We are proud to support the Voices Today for Change Tomorrow program and to join the Milbank Memorial Fund in their commitment to healing and reconciliation from one of the most egregious public health violations in our nation's history,” said RWJF executive vice president Julie Morita. “By investing in this next generation, they can lead the way to a healthier, more equitable future.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/LPETTET)