Frederick Douglass Fellowships
The
Frederick Douglass Fellowships support independent work in African-American
studies and related areas. The author, activist, and diplomat Frederick
Douglass (1818-1895), for whom the fellowships were named, was born in Talbot
County, Md., about 30 miles south of Chestertown, and retained a deep attachment
to the Eastern Shore until the end of his life.
The Douglass Fellowships were established through a generous gift from Maurice
Meslans and Margaret Holyfield of St. Louis. They fund an annual spring
semester grant of up to $1500 to a sophomore or junior to work on a research
project related to African-American studies. Topics pertaining to—in
the words of the donors—other "minority American" fields
(Asian-American studies, gay and lesbian studies, Latino studies, et al.)
will also be considered. In addition to funding student projects, each year,
during the spring semester, the Douglass Fellowships also bring to campus
a visiting scholar, writer, musician, etc. engaged in the study or interpretation
of African-American history and related fields.
The grant covers research trips and book purchases, and helps support recipients while they work on their projects. Each Frederick Douglass Fellow selects a faculty member to guide the project, and presents his or her conclusions at the end of the spring semester. The faculty mentor receives a $500 honorarium for his or her participation. Working side by side with their chosen mentor, Douglass Fellows are able to take their academic work to a new level, pursuing independent research beyond the classroom.
Applications for Spring 2010 must be received by November 13, 2009.
For more information about the Frederick Douglass Fellowships, please contact Starr Center Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus at (410) 810-7157, or jtitus2@washcoll.edu. Interested students are strongly encouraged to discuss their draft proposals with Dr. Titus before finalizing their applications.
Past Fellows
2008
Sarah Claypool, '10: "Blending the old with the new: influence of Native American healing on Western medicinal practices"
Faculty Mentor: Anne Marteel-Parrish, Department of Chemistry"
Click here to see the results of Sarah’s
research
Click here to see photos from Sarah’s
presentation
Presentation Audio: Track 1 - Track 2 - Track 3
Sarah
DeVan, ’09: "Missed Opportunity
and Brighter Future: 
The Reading Lag in African American Students and How to Fix It"
Faculty Mentor: Professor Sean O'Connor, Department of Education
Click here to see the results of Sarah’s
research
Gretchen
Gerzina: Frederick Douglass Visiting Fellow
Kathe Tappe Vernon Professor of Biography, Dartmouth College
Author, Mr.
and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out
of Slavery and Into Legend
2007
Elizabeth
Clay '08: "The Freedmen's Bureau and its Implications
in
Chestertown, 1864-1872"
Faculty mentor: Professor Carol Wilson, Department of History
Ralph
Eubanks: Frederick Douglass Visiting Fellow
Director of Publishing, Library of Congress
Author, Ever is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippi’s Dark
Past
2006
Carimanda Baynard ’08: “Media Coverage and the Disappearance
of African-American Women”
Faculty mentor: Professor Michele Volansky, Department of Drama
Albin Kowalewski ’07: “Free African-Americans in Chestertown,
1790-1850”
Faculty mentor: Professor Carol Wilson, Department of History
2005
Paula Potter ’06: “Teaching Civil-Rights History to
Elementary-School Students”
Faculty mentor: Professor Peggy Donnelly, Department of Education
Alyse C. Shelton ’06: “Chestertown Before
and After School Integration”
Faculty mentor: Professor Steven Cades, Department of Sociology
Marlon
Saunders: Jazz musician and Professor of Voice, Berklee College
of Music
Composer, Workin' on
a Building: Compositions of Black Life on Maryland's Eastern Shore
