2024 cohort of Wilma Gibbs Moore fellows announced

Indiana Humanities has awarded fellowships of $5,000 for five humanities-based research projects that examine anti-Black racial injustice and structural racism in Indiana. The Wilma Gibbs Moore Fellowship program strives to prompt and inform meaningful discussions about race and racism in Indiana and about how Black Hoosiers have responded.

Fellowship-supported research will examine the history of the oppression of Black Hoosiers in Knox County, the lynching of Black WWII veteran James Edward Person, the history of activism in Indianapolis’ Babe Denny neighborhood, and other topics. Professional historians, professors, a librarian, and a doctoral student will conduct the research.

The five projects and the selected fellows are:

• A Timeline of Black Hoosier Oppression in Knox County: From Code Noir to the 20th Century | Fellow: Tom Bartholomew
• Vigo County, Indiana, and the 1942 Lynching of James Edward Person | Fellow: Renatto V. Carr
• Cactus Flower: The Life of Patricia Roberts Harris | Fellow: Ursula Tracy Doyle 
• Southside Mosaic: Interracial Relationships and Grassroots Activism in Indianapolis’ Babe Denny Neighborhood | Fellow: Susan Hyatt
• Preserving Black Indy: An Assessment of Community-Led Archives in Norwood | Fellow: Stephen Lane II

“Since we began this fellowship in 2020, many impressive fellows have been able to dive deeper into issues like political activism and environmental justice,” said George Hanlin, director of grants at Indiana Humanities. “It’s a privilege to support these accomplished experts as they take often-overlooked histories and bring them to light. We’re grateful to have the ability to continue the conversation around the complexities of race in the Indiana.”

The Wilma Gibbs Moore Fellowships are named for a former Indiana Historical Society archivist and librarian who served as one of Indiana’s preeminent scholars of African American history. An advisory panel of esteemed humanities scholars reviewed the proposals and made the final selections. The Indianapolis Fund, a CICF affiliate, provided funding for the Indianapolis-based fellows.

As part of the fellowship, the scholars are required to share their research with the public via presentations, tours, historical markers or other formats. For details about future fellowship deadlines and progress on these projects, visit https://indianahumanities.org/wgmfellowship.