Timuel D. Black Jr. Fellowship in African-American Studies

This fellowship is made possible by the generous support of
individual contributions to the Vivian G. Harsh Society, Ariel Investment, Polk Bros. Foundation, and the Driehaus Foundation.

Attention: The Vivian G. Harsh Society Announces 2009 Timuel D. Black, Jr. Fellowship Recipients. Click here to read the press release.

About Timuel D. Black, Jr.

Timuel D. Black, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences at the City Colleges of Chicago and author of the acclaimed Bridges of Memories histories of Black Chicago.  Professor Black has played a major role in many of the landmark struggles related to African Americans in Chicago in the 20th century, including: education desegregation, the Chicago freedom movement, and the historic campaign to elect Harold Washington mayor.

Eligibility

Applicants must demonstrate a need for the collections of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, and fulfill requirements related to their specific field, profession, or vocation, as listed below.

• Scholars
  Scholars must hold a doctorate in a scholarly field corresponding to the proposed project at the time of appointment.
• Writers
  Fiction and nonfiction applicants must document, through their resume, professional recognition as a writer (fellowships or grants received, publishing contracts with established presses, publication in journals or magazines with known and rigorous review criteria). Journalism applicants must be currently working full-time as employees of newspapers, periodicals, broadcast entities, wire services, web sites, and full-time freelancers.
• Educators
  Educators must be full-time teachers in accredited K-12 institutions (including charter schools), or full-time faculty at community colleges.
• Institutional Researchers
  Institutional researchers must be designated (nominated and recognized by executive leadership of institution) historians, archivists or researchers. Their home institution can be either a private or community establishment (church, business, voluntary or benefit society, group advocacy organization).

Application Requirements

The following application materials must be submitted to info@blackmetropolisresearch.org as a PDF file or MS Word documents and received by 5:00PM, CST, on Monday January 11, 2010.

1. Download and complete a letter of application
2. A curriculum vitae
3. Three letters of recommendation. It is your responsibility to have three letters of recommendation sent to the BMRC by the application deadline.
   See Support Material section below for further details.
4. Supporting materials as related to your specific field, profession, or vocation, as listed below

1. Supply a writing sample between 10-15 pages in length, a brief prospectus (3-5 pages) outlining their current project and offering an argument for why access to the holdings of the Harsh Collection are important to completing that project.

1. Provide a brief prospectus (3-5 pages) outlining their current project, and including an argument for why access to the holdings of the Harsh Collection are important to completing that project.

1. Provide a brief prospectus (3-5 pages) outlining a substantial written project (book or article) to be based on their research at the Harsh Collection, or an extensive curriculum unit outline or lesson plan, to be based on their research at the Harsh Collection. Models for such outlines and lesson plans can be obtained by contacting the Board for Directors for the Harsh Society.

1. Provide a brief prospectus (3-5 pages) outlining their organizational research project, and including an argument for why access to the holdings of the Harsh Collection are important to completing that project.

Support Materials

Letters of recommendation must be postmarked by January 11, 2010. Have letters of recommendation sent to:

Black Metropolis Research Consortium
5720 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
60637

Application Submission

All application materials listed must be submitted to info@blackmetropolisresearch.org as a PDF file or MS Word documents and received by 5:00PM, CST, on Monday January 11, 2010.

Selection Process

Applications for the Timuel D. Black Research Fellowships will be evaluated by a peer review panel consisting of scholars, educators, and community leaders, drawn from nominees provided by the Harsh Society and the Black Metropolis Research Consortium.

Terms

Stipends for short-term Fellowships will be $2000 per month for one or two months. Fellows will be provided with the following:

• Regular researcher access to the Harsh Collection at the Carter G. Woodson Library, including use of the manuscript room and normal borrowing privileges.
• Reserve shelves in library/archive
• Seminars for presentation and discussion of work