The Howe Scholarship Endowment
The Howe Scholarship Endowment was named in honor of the Howes, a gifted family of at least four generations of African-American builders and carpenters who contributed immensely to construction in Wilmington from the mid-19th into the early 20th centuries. It was established in celebration of the resilience, fortitude, talent, and imagination of the African-American community in the Wilmington, NC area, and in appreciation of its many seminal contributions to the construction and beauty of the city.
The Scholarship is intended to support the education of African-American students pursuing the building arts & sciences, including but not limited to architecture—a field in which Black Americans are currently underrepresented in the United States. Higher educational pursuits in other areas of the building arts, including engineering, carpentry, and construction management, will also be strongly considered. Beginning in 2023, the Scholarship has been awarded to one recipient annually in an amount to be determined.
Please find the Howe Scholarship application on this website. And keep checking this space as we build and expand it with photographs and information on the Howe family and their work.
APPLICATION deadline: MAY 1st
Congratulations to Kweli King, Recipient of the Howe Scholarship 2023
June 30, 2023. St. Stephen A.M.E. Church in collaboration with the Howe Scholarship Endowment and the N.C. Community Foundation announce the recipient of the inaugural Howe Scholarship.
The recipient is Kweli King, a 2023 graduate of North Brunswick High School. He is the son of Dwight and Iris King of Leland, N.C.
Kweli received many honors upon high school graduation including distinction as a Summa Cum Laude graduate, North Carolina Scholar, member of the National Honor Society, and an Honor Graduate of North Brunswick High School. He plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he has been admitted into the Lee College of Engineering. His intended major is Mechanical Engineering. He will receive $1,500 to offset the cost of his first semester studies.
Cynthia Jevette Brown, 1955 – 2023
It is with deepest sadness that we announce the death of Cynthia J. Brown on November 23, 2023 after a long illness. A direct descendant of Alfred Augustus Howe, she was the visionary and inspiration behind the creation of the Howe Scholarship Endowment, for which she tirelessly advocated. A historian and writer, Cynthia dedicated herself to uncovering the truth of Wilmington’s 1898 Massacre and Coup and honoring its victims. Learn more about her life and work at the following links:
https://www.starnewsonline.com/obituaries/pwlm0638244
https://www.vox.com/2019/6/20/18693018/white-supremacists-overthrew-government-north-carolina
Cynthia J. Brown photo by Phillip E. Brown Jr, copyright 2023