Malverne High School senior Matthew DaCosta was named winner of ERASE Racism’s 2026 John Wenzel Scholarship for Advancing Racial Equity, Elaine Gross, the group’s founder and president emerita, announced on May 19.
DaCosta expressed great pride in earning the award, which he said will help him continue spreading his message of racial equity.
“It’s not only a reflection of my hard work, but also a symbol to keep going,” he said. “This scholarship also greatly assists me with furthering my policy and racial justice efforts in college.”
Established in 2001, ERASE Racism is a Long Island-based civil rights organization that exposes and addresses the impact of historical and ongoing structural racism, particularly in public school education and housing.
The group promotes its mission through research, policy advocacy, legal action, and educating and mobilizing the public. These education efforts help drive policy change at local, regional and statewide levels and through national coalitions.
“We fill a really important niche,” Gross said. “There were not many people talking about ways to address structural racism in the ways that public policy, government policy, and institutional practices perpetuate ongoing disparities between white and Black Long Islanders.”
Since 2023, the Wenzel Scholarship has been awarded annually to a Long Island high school senior who exemplifies ERASE Racism’s commitment to racial justice. The winner receives a $1,500 scholarship, which was presented at ERASE Racism’s annual benefit on June 3.
“The Scholarship continues John Wenzel’s commitment to racial justice, and this year it recognizes Matthew’s extraordinary record of advancing racial equity,” Gross said in a written statement. “Matthew’s work on racial issues has been disciplined, imaginative, and wide-ranging. He has not let age, locale, politics, or pessimism stand in his way, as he has worked diligently for a racially equitable future.
“He has an extraordinary record,” Gross added. “He will be a real leader, once you get him started on something, he will run with it and always get great results.”
Wenzel, a Sea Cliff resident for more than 50 years, a longstanding supporter of ERASE Racism and long-time board member of the Rauch Foundation, died in late 2023, and the scholarship was named in his honor.
DaCosta was selected for this year’s award because of the dedication and passion he has exhibited in ERASE Racism’s Youth Development for Leadership Initiative.
As a member of ERASE Racism’s Student Task Force, he led one of its largest-ever regional student conferences, which, in 2024, brought together more than 250 students from Long Island schools. They came from schools that enrolled mostly students of color and from schools with mostly white students, collectively addressing structural racism and its impacts.
As one of eight interns selected for ERASE Racism’s Student Leaders for Equity internship, DaCosta testified at the New York State Foundation Aid hearings in favor of updating school-funding formulas to better reflect district needs.
During the summer internship, he also developed a curriculum for Malverne Youth Towards Equity, pitched it to help his district’s administration, and trained peers in facilitation to assist him with implementation of the curriculum. In addition, he led monthly sessions educating elementary students about structural racism and shared his experience with the rest of the Student Task Force, inspiring them to follow in his footsteps.
“I’m most proud of leading the Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow,” DaCosta said. “I feel very grateful to have had such an impact on a lot of high school youth.”
DaCosta will be leaving Malverne soon, but he hopes his efforts will continue to impact his community. He created a financial literacy program for students in Malverne elementary schools, adding that the program will continue under a current junior at Malverne High School.
“I hope to continue inspiring students, and I hope my peers continue the legacy and keep my passion within the community,” he said. “I think my work is off to a good start in terms of inspiring continued efforts in the future.”
After graduating from high school, DaCosta will attend Duke University, majoring in public policy.
“I am excited to continue getting involved,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work with cultural organizations and see what other opportunities there are on campus.”
