The Juneteenth Scholars Program is designed to recognize the great importance of university scholarship in understanding connections between the Juneteenth holiday and contemporary struggles against institutional racism, the exposure of structural inequality, and support for vulnerable populations.

Initiated by the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in the summer of 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, this program is designed to support research on topics such as emancipatory movements, structures of oppression, institutional silences about violence, the courage of activists, and the need for systemic structural change in the United States and globally.

The college is seeking applicants for Juneteenth Faculty Scholars whose research on the themes outlined above will be supported in the summer of 2021. In addition to enhancing understanding of these themes, this research should result in publications, presentations, and/or performances that will advance the scholar’s path toward promotion and further career development.

Up to eight Juneteenth Faculty Scholars will be appointed for the summer of 2021. Eligibility is limited to tenure-track assistant professors and collegiate assistant professors, as of the time of application. Faculty who are under review for tenure and promotion in 2021 are eligible to apply. Faculty may serve as a Juneteenth Faculty Scholar multiple times, but not in consecutive years. The application deadline is January 28, 2021.

Juneteenth Faculty Scholars will be invited to hire an undergraduate research assistant to support their projects in the summer of 2021. In addition, the college plans to appoint two Juneteenth Graduate Student Scholars who will be available to support faculty projects in the summer of 2021 as well as during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Please see application materials and Frequently Asked Questions here.

Submitted by Tom Ewing, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies