November 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the end of one of the most notorious public health and medical ethics violations in U.S. history: the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Study of Untreated Syphilis at Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama, 1932-1972. In this study, 625 Black men were denied treatment while being observed as their illness progressed, despite curative medical therapy being readily available and the standard of care. In recognition of the gravity of this anniversary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit membership organization comprised of descendants of the individuals in the study; renowned historians and senior government officials to present: Recognition, Remembrance, and Reflection: The Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee and Macon County. The program examined the pervasive and ongoing effects of the study and CDC’s continuing role in addressing racism as a public health threat. Invited to collaborate, the CDC Foundation joined CDC and Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation to develop a scholarship fund—honoring the lives of the study’s participants by granting merit scholarships to their descendants. The scholarship fund is but one way to build a better future, upholding the parting requests of the unwilling study participants: to always remember and never repeat. CDC, Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation and the CDC Foundation are dedicated to honoring the memories of the men in the study as well their lives.

About the Fund: To honor the memory and lives of the victims of the study, the CDC Foundation aims to raise $5 million for the Voices Today for Change Tomorrow Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide annual merit scholarships to the descendants of the study participants and offer administrative support to the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation. Recipients of the scholarships will be encouraged, but not required, to attend historically Black colleges or universities. With this fund, the CDC Foundation honors the legacy of the men in the USPHS Study of Untreated Syphilis and supports their descendants in building change. These scholarships are intended to amplify the voices of the next generation, allowing them to honor the life experiences of their ancestors while pursuing innovative solutions across their fields of study. View the news release about the scholarship.

Get Involved: The CDC Foundation welcomes individuals and funding partners to join us in building an endowed fund to support future generations of study descendants. To make a gift online, visit our donation page to support this important work. Please contact Helene Erenberg to discuss ways we can partner together on this important legacy scholarship program.