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WACO, Texas (April 19, 2021) Baylor University’s department of religion has announced that Wemimo Bright Jaiyesimi of Lagos, Nigeria, has been named the recipient of the inaugural Robert L. Gilbert Scholar in Religion Graduate Fellowship.
The fellowship is named for the Rev. Robert Gilbert, B.A. 67, the first Black graduate of Baylor University, along with Barbara Walker, B.A. ’67. In 1970, Gilbert became the first Black student to enroll in Baylor’s religion graduate program. As an influential educator, pastor and civil rights leader in the Waco area, Gilbert was the first Black member elected to the Waco Independent School District Board in 1976. He also was a champion of women in ministry, being the first Black Baptist pastor to license a female minister.