College of Leadership & Public Service announces 2023 Fred D. Gray Scholarship recipients

Three students, each with a passion for justice and community development, have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Fred D. Gray Scholarship.

Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 | 09/12/2023

The College of Leadership & Public Service recently announced that Janeyah Anderson, honors student Carson Coward and honors student Shythaly Herrera have been selected as this year’s recipients of the Fred D. Gray Scholarship. They each have a similar passion for justice and community development as Fred D. Gray, a key figure in the historic civil rights movement and a 2022 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for whom the scholarship is named.

Less than a year out of law school, at age 24, Gray represented Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat on a city bus, which began the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Gray was also Martin Luther King Jr.’s first civil rights lawyer, represented the Freedom Riders and filed the lawsuits that desegregated Alabama schools.

The scholarship was established in 2017, shortly after a formal partnership between Lipscomb University and Gray culminated in the launch of the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society, housed in the College of Leadership & Public Service.

“We seek to assist students financially who embody the heart and drive of Mr. Gray in helping others and pursuing justice,” says Kimbery L. McCall, associate dean of academics, College of Leadership & Public Service and academic director of the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society.

“I smile when I think about the accomplished and service-oriented students who have received this award over the past six years,” says McCall. “Janeyah Anderson, Carson Coward, and Shythaly Herrera are great examples of the heart of the program. Each has demonstrated leadership and a passion for justice and community development in and outside of the classroom.” 

Anderson, a junior from Hendersonville, Tennessee, aspires to be a part of a legislative body to carry out her dream of creating a sustainable difference in the country.

“Receiving the Fred D. Gray Scholarship will significantly motivate me to continue to walk in the law-centered vocation God has given me,” says Anderson.

“Alongside a vocational dream, my lifetime goal is to open up several non-profits in different states to provide resources for people below the poverty line. Ideally, these non-profits would provide temporary job positions, food, housing and other essential needs for underserved individuals.”

Coward, a senior from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, says, “I feel absolutely honored to be chosen as a Fred D. Gray Scholar. My time here at Lipscomb has been nothing short of wonderful and life-giving.”

Coward’s overarching career goal is to have a positive impact in her community.

“I specifically have a passion for addiction recovery services, the reintegration of previously incarcerated individuals into society and social justice work as a whole,” says Coward.

Herrera, a junior from Nashville, Tennessee, is focusing on criminal defense.

“Words cannot describe how incredibly grateful I am to receive this honor,” says Herrera.

“There were moments when I doubted my ability to succeed and to live out my dreams and aspirations of becoming an attorney. This honor has given me the determination to persevere,” she says.

Juniors and seniors majoring in law, justice & society may apply for the scholarship, which they keep throughout their tenure in the program.

The Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society at Lipscomb University is based on the principle that legal change is one of the surest means to effect social change. Students are encouraged to consider America’s legal system from a multidisciplinary perspective for a fuller understanding of its mechanisms, practice and consequences.

 

Scholarship recipients to be recognized at No Small Endeavor

Fred D. Gray Scholarship recipients will be recognized at the special musical tribute in honor of civil right attorney Fred Gray by No Small Endeavor (formerly The Tokens Show), 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, in Collins Auditorium. Professor Lee C. Camp will present this special show with a full house band and special guests Ruby Amanfu, Odessa Settles and Fred Gray. It is presented by the College of Leadership & Public Service and included in the Presidential Signature Series. Learn more and purchase tickets here.