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 2009 must be received by October 30, 2008.
For more information about the Frederick Douglass Fellowships, please contact Starr Center Associate Director Jill Ogline at (410) 810-7157, or jogline2@washcoll.edu. Interested students are strongly encouraged to discuss their draft proposals with Dr. Ogline before finalizing their applications.
Past Fellows
2008
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
