Families of Tuskegee Syphilis Study Victims Seek Leftover Settlement Fund

Descendants of hundreds of black men who were left untreated for syphilis during an infamous government study want a judge to award them any money remaining from a $9 million legal settlement over the program.

The head of an organization for descendants of those who underwent the testing, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, said the money could help pay for college scholarships, and members want to develop a memorial garden.

Some money could also go to a county-owned museum in Tuskegee that has separately requested the funds, but the decision should be up to the descendants, said Lillie Tyson Head, the president of the Voices of our Fathers Legacy Foundation.