Fanta Diallo, ’20 B.A., considers herself a lifelong activist. As student at South High School in Minneapolis, she helped establish a racial justice day, during which regular classes were replaced with classes on cultural appropriation, white privilege, and other topics.

When she came to the University of Minnesota, she got involved in activities and organizations, including the President’s Emerging Scholars (PES) Student Board. As a President’s Emerging Scholar, she saw the difference scholarships made in her life and the lives of others. “I was able to find a really good community of people through PES,” she says.

Diallo hopes the University of Minnesota Scholarship in honor of George Floyd will create a similar sense of connection among recipients.

But when she read the original language describing the intent of the scholarship, it didn’t sound right. She worked with members of the Black Student Action Committee to “make this scholarship what it needs to be for Black people.”

Hear how she and her colleagues changed the language.