TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State Senator Randolph Bracy (D-Ocoee) held a press conference Wednesday where he announced plans to significantly expand his Ocoee Scholarship Program.
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The Florida Legislature created the program in 2021 with the goal of offering financial assistance for up to 50 eligible students who are either direct descendants of victims of the Ocoee Election Day Riots of 1920, or are current African-American Ocoee residents.
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Bracy announced plans Wednesday to pass legislation that would expand the program to include up to 500 students.
He said it would make it the largest program in the country that pays some form of compensation to African-Americans.
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“I believe that addressing past racial unrest with compensation is a way to heal those past wounds, and heal the community,” Bracy said. “So I’m glad we’re going to expand this program and make it the largest of its kind in this country.”
Bracy said he’s had conversations with Senate leadership and expects to pass the expansion “this year.”
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For more information on the Bracy Ocoee Scholarship Program, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here.
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