– Foundation –
The M. Katherine Baird Darmer Equality Scholarship Fund was named in memory of the late M. Katherine Baird Darmer, an activist, law professor, and champion of change for the LGBT community in Orange County and beyond. The Fund, which is sponsored by the Orange County Lavender Bar Association (OCLBA) and the Orange County Equality Coalition (OCEC), awards one or more scholarships each year to academically qualified law students who have demonstrated commitment to advancing equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in Orange County. Determinations regarding the amount and number of awards are at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee jointly appointed by OCLBA and OCEC and the Liberty Hill Foundation.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be considered for the Darmer Equality Scholarship, an applicant must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be a current or incoming law student.
- Demonstrate commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community in Orange County.
- Be available, if requested, to participate in an interview with the scholarship committee in May 2018.
- Be available, if selected, to attend the OCLBA Anniversary Party in Orange County, CA, in July, 2018–date TBA.
~~~
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Excerpted from When Great Trees Fall
~ Maya Angelou
The M. Katherine Baird Darmer Equality Scholarship 