About Us

The Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation is a nonprofit organization positively impacting the lives of Black male students in the Chicago area.

Together, We Can Give Young Black Males a Brighter Future

The Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation (ETSF) is a nonprofit that provides college scholarships, mentorship and life skill programming to African-American male students from the Chicago area, impacted by gun violence, who attend, or seek to attend, an accredited college, university or trade school.

Mission

To ensure African-American men lead better lives and have opportunities for higher education.

Vision

To better strengthen the opportunity for growth of young African-American men in Chicago through education, exposure, mentorship and social/emotional support. Through the activities of the Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation, we provide college funding to support their education and provide life-skills to help them create a better life for themselves and the communities they live in.

Our Story

In 1982 Ezekiel Taylor was robbed and killed on the south side of Chicago. He was a 34-year-old husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend. His life was violently snatched by ruthless teenagers. The senseless gun violence that plagued Chicago 4 decades ago, continues to haunt the city today.

Ezekiel Taylor’s legacy lives on through his only child, Tenisha Taylor. Tenisha, a former CNN executive, is a graduate of St. Martin De Porres High School in Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark Atlanta University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. With a media career that spans more than 20 years, Tenisha now uses her influence to invest in youth development.

ETSF’s Impact to Date

175

Scholarships Awarded

30

Colleges & Universities Attended

$300,000

Scholarship Money Awarded

How We Work

Since 2017, we have focused on investing in our communities to lower the crime rate.

Higher Education

Our students attend colleges/universities across the country, in states such as IL, IN, MI, NC, FL, CA, MA, WI, TN, GA and Washington, D.C.

Scholarships

Our renewable scholarships range from $1-3k per year, per student. More than 2 dozen young men have graduated college from our program since 2017.

Mentors

Each scholar is paired with a male mentor who help guides the scholars’ college and career path. The mentors commit to the student’s four-year matriculation through college.

Why You Should Care

Every year, Chicago ranks near the top of the list of murder totals by American city.

  • Chicago ended 2022 with 723 people murdered, a 13% decrease from 2021 but still more than any other American city.
  • 3,477 people were wounded in shootings.
  • 80% of Chicago’s homicide victims are BLACK.
  • The Violence Policy Center says homicides are overwhelming young BLACK males with Illinois ranking second for BLACK Homicide in U.S.
  • Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist who has long studied gun violence in Chicago, agrees that “investing in communities is the key to lowering crime.”

Leading the Team

Facing a problem as big as crime and violence in urban communities requires an incredible team. We’re grateful to have some of the most innovative and committed leaders guiding our efforts.

Our Founders

Tenisha Taylor and Velma Pate

Tenisha Taylor, the only daughter of Ezekiel Taylor, serves as Founder and CEO. Her mother, Velma Pate, leads day-to-day operations as Executive Director.

Board of Directors

With decades of experience and the robust resumes to prove it, these multi-talented professionals are helping improve Chicago’s communities one young scholar at a time.

Tenisha Taylor
President/CEO

Tenisha Taylor

Velma Pate
Executive Director

Velma Pate

Brenda Bryant
Treasurer

Brenda Bryant

Sandra Thomas
Program Development

Sandra Thomas

Anita Johnson
Board of Directors

Administrator Domestic & International Medical Students

American College of Surgeons

Anita Johnson

Administrator Domestic & International Medical Students

Clay Wallace
Board of Directors

Alumni Relations

University of Chicago

Clay Wallace

Alumni Relations

Eric D. Tidwell, Esq.
Board of Directors

General Counsel

Martin Luther King, Jr. Estate

Eric D. Tidwell, Esq.

General Counsel

Jacob Qualls
Board of Directors

Vice President of Consumer Goods

Formerly Genpact

Jacob Qualls

Vice President of Consumer Goods

Jessica Thomas
Board of Directors

Project Engineer

Granite Construction

Jessica Thomas

Project Engineer

Kenneth Hughes, Jr.
Board of Directors

Commercial Relationship Manager

Fifth Third Bank

Kenneth Hughes, Jr.

Commercial Relationship Manager

Lakesha Wilson Hill, CPA
Board of Directors

Chief Financial Officer

Riverspan Partners

Lakesha Wilson Hill, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Natasha Martin
Board of Directors

Technology Services

Chicago Public Schools

Natasha Martin

Technology Services

Ninette Martin
Board of Directors

Senior Consultant / Talent Acquisition

Ninette Martin

Senior Consultant / Talent Acquisition

Shannon Travis
Board of Directors

CEO

Higher Glyphs Content, LLC

Shannon Travis

CEO

Dr. Yolanda Coleman
Board of Directors

Chief Nursing Officer

Weiss Memorial Hospital

Dr. Yolanda Coleman

Chief Nursing Officer

Alumni

We’re proud of scholars who have matriculated through our scholarship / mentorship program, earned their college degrees and are making an impact throughout the workforce.

Daniel Gay
Clark Atlanta University

Graduate School

Darius Johnson
Morehouse and Columbia

Television Reporter

Dattrick Woody
Taylor University

Small Business Owner

Deon Stephens
Clark Atlanta University and University of Michigan

Derrick Daniels
Clark Atlanta University

Elementary School Teacher

Eric Pates
Albion College

Ezekiel Stevens
Morehouse College

Immanuel Taylor
Iowa State University

Veternarian

Jasai Kimsey
Eastern Michigan University

Johnny Brown
University of Miami

Engineer

Jordan Alfred
Illinois Institute of Technology

Architect

Justin Powell
University of Southern California

Law School

Kamari Bell
Tennessee State University

Kenneth Hughes, Jr.
Central State University

Banker

Kirkland Sudeall
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Law School

Malique Amos
Fullerton College

Continuing Education

Marlon Stokes
Howard University

Matthew McGowan
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Graduate School

Matthew Swalek
University of Chicago

Zion Richardson
University of Wisconsin

Graduate School

Partners and Sponsors

How You Can Help

Importance of Corporate Partnership

  • Corporations strive to be good global citizens, especially in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).
  • Companies that are good corporate citizens reap immense business benefits from their employees and the communities in which they thrive.
  • Partnership equips scholars with opportunity, scholarships, mentorship and life-skill programming
  • When the scholars succeed, their families succeed, crime rates decrease, college graduate rates increase and the workplace is populated with eligible candidates.

Ways you can support

  • Make a financial donation on our website
  • Become a corporate sponsor at our annual gala
  • Purchase a table or ticket to our annual gala
  • Sponsor a “Life Skill” workshop (quarterly programs)
  • Become a corporate sponsor
  • Volunteer to mentor (males only)
  • Become a board member
  • Serve on a committee
  • Follow on social media @EZTaylorFDN