The EFA partners with two organizations that support and advocate for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the United Negro College Fund and Thurgood Marshall College Fund, to administer the Editorial Freelancers Association Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship program. This program was founded to support current students and alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) pursuing future careers in publishing and communications in an effort to promote equity in education and cultivate a more diverse publishing industry.
Under the program, we are sponsoring four $5,000 scholarships for students attending an HBCU. The scholarships are available to students who are Black, African American, or of Black African descent and enrolled in a degree program leading to (1) employment in the publishing or communications industry, or (2) a career that could lead to their becoming a member of the EFA. Each $5,000 award will be paid directly to the scholarship recipient’s HBCU in two annual installments of $2,500.
The program, which was approved by the EFA board at its November 2021 meeting, is named in memory of Ruth Mullen, a longtime EFA member and volunteer, editorial colleague, and friend to many in our association who committed much of her life to advancing civil rights. At the time of her tragic death in September 2021, Ruth was serving as an EFA co-executive.
2024 Recipients
Florida A&M University student Kandon Fears of Lithonia, Georgia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native Tervonna Pollard of North Carolina Central University; and Bethune-Cookman University student Jude Servius of Miami, Florida, are the recipients of the third annual EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship in the undergraduate category, and Bowie State University alumnus Myles Moody of Baltimore, Maryland, is the recipient in the graduate category.
Read more about the 2024 recipients of the Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship here.
2023 Recipients
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC AT) student Gabrielle Heyward of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Howard University student Makiydah Berry of Hartford, Connecticut, received the second annual EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship in the undergraduate category, and Savannah State University alumnus Jordan Turner of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was the recipient in the graduate category.
Read more about the 2023 recipients of the Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship here.
2022 Recipients
Spelman College junior Mauranne Vernier of Evanston, Illinois, received the inaugural EFA Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship in the undergraduate category, and Kristen Shipley of York, Pennsylvania, received in the graduate category.
Read more about the 2022 recipients of the Ruth Mullen Memorial Scholarship here.
