Andrea Tribble, a Spring 2025 graduate of the Department of African American Studies (AAS) at the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), was the first student to receive the William Alexander Lawson Social Justice Endowed Scholarship in Academic Year 2024-25.
For Tribble, being a Lawson Fellow not only deepened her connection with the Third Ward community, but it also inspired her to pursue a career as an archivist, preserving and sharing African American histories across the United States.
“As a student who came from out of state, I was always conscious of my positionality. I didn’t want to just be part of a university located in a Black neighborhood,” Tribble shared. “I wanted to be at a place that gives back. I felt a responsibility to contribute to the Third Ward and the broader Houston community and make an impact that would outlive my time at the school.”
This fall, Tribble is taking an online master’s program in Library and Information Science at the University of Alabama and serves on the community advisory council for the Givens Collection of African American Literature at the University of Minnesota in her hometown of Minneapolis. Her journey shows how investment in AAS students can spark lasting impact.
Building on that momentum, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church has made a transformative $200,000 gift to strengthen the Lawson Scholarship Endowment. This new donation –– the church’s second in three years –– ensures that more students will have the same opportunities to lead, serve and give back to their communities. This gift is the latest in a series of initiatives by Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church to honor Reverend Lawson's legacy.
“Our commitment to the University of Houston reflects our Church’s long-standing mission to serve and uplift our community,” said Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, Senior Pastor, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. “This gift is an investment in students who will use their education to challenge inequities and lead with vision and purpose.”
The endowment was established in 2020 by the late James L. Conyers, Jr., former AAS Director, to honor Reverend Bill Lawson, founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and a civil rights leader who passed away in 2024. The scholarship supports AAS undergraduates, giving preference to students from Jack Yates and Booker T. Washington High Schools.
“This most recent gift from Wheeler Avenue Baptist is significant because it means we can welcome more students into the Department and also award them greater scholarship support each year,” said Dr. Tara T. Green, AAS Department Chair and CLASS Distinguished Professor.
Investing in an Academic Success
While the bulk of the new funds will support Lawson Fellows, $60,000 has been designated for the AAS Department’s EMERGE Leadership Academy through 2028. The two-week summer program prepares high school juniors and seniors with essential academic, professional and leadership skills.
“Through EMERGE, students take classes on the UH campus, interact with instructors and gain a real sense of college life,” Green said. “We hope the experience encourages them to consider UH, CLASS, and AAS as part of their academic future.”
Green pointed out that more than 30 students participated in the Program this past summer, and applications continue to rise.
“We are always thinking about what the future looks like for our future and current students,” Green added. “We were started by students 55 years ago, and we remain student-centered. They are always a voice at the table.”
Andrea Tribble believes the continued investment from Wheeler Avenue affirms the values that guided her own path.
“Community service and involvement have shaped my career in archives and community work,” she said. “Seeing that same support to invest in AAS Programs and students’ shows that the cycle of community connection is still thriving.”
For more information on how to support current and future students in the Department of African American Studies, visit our Opportunities to Give page.