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Philosophy and political science double major Akheem Mitchell ’23 is one of 10 students nationwide to be selected for the Legal Defense Fund’s fifth cohort of prestigious Marshall-Motley Scholars.

Launched in 2020 to address the racial injustice that remains deeply rooted in the South, the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program provides full scholarships to law school, ongoing mentorship, and professional development opportunities. With the selection of this year’s cohort, the Legal Defense Fund has reached its initial goal of identifying 50 individuals to continue the legacy of civil rights pioneers Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley.

This multi-year opportunity gives Mitchell an avenue to combat the economic and social disparities targeting Black communities that he witnessed as an adolescent growing up in Orlando’s Tangelo Park neighborhood. When he came to Rollins, where he earned a Harris Rosen Scholarship to attend, he had a single goal: to leave a positive legacy in his wake.

“My Rollins experience was rooted in service to others,” says Mitchell, who was elected as the first Black president and vice president of Rollins’ Student Government Association. “I learned how to be a leader and an activist through the foundations of critical thinking, empathy, open-mindedness, and curiosity that I found on campus.”

Mitchell credits his Rollins experiences both in and outside the classroom for preparing him for this scholarship program and giving him a new level of determination. In addition to his role in SGA, he also interned with the U.S. House of Representatives and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, served as vice president of the Black Student Union, and worked to implement a mandatory “intercultural competency” graduation requirement. None of this would have been possible without the mentorship and guidance he received from faculty, staff, and his fellow students.

“I developed a deep community of individuals who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” says Mitchell. “These people understood the heaviness of the crown I was wearing and lifted me up by reminding me who I was called to be.”

Since graduating, Mitchell’s advocacy efforts have included mentoring underserved youth through the Boys & Young Men of Color program at the YMCA, researching policies affecting the Black community as a congressional intern for Rep. Frederica Wilson, and seeking to increase multi-generational civic participation in underserved Southern communities via participation in the Southern Youth Engagement Summit with the Harris for President Campaign.

Come fall, Mitchell’s journey of service to others will continue when he commences law school at Florida A&M University—a path inspired by the aspiring civil rights attorney’s lived experience and relationships with philosophy professor Eric Smaw and English professor Jana Mathews.

“I view law as an instrument that, while intended to fortify the systems regulating our society, has been used for generations as a weapon against marginalized communities,” says Mitchell, who is committed to achieving a sense of liberation for Black Americans. “Through continued advocacy efforts, including civil rights litigation, I aspire to dismantle the systems and societal norms disproportionately harming the Black community and cement an unwavering sense of hope within it.”

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