Charlottesville, Va—Virginia Humanities, the state humanities council, has awarded six individual fellowships for 2024–25, supporting exceptional scholars and practitioners whose work promises to expand Virginia’s intellectual landscape.
“Our fellows explore important ideas and stories that help us better understand our shared history and culture,” said Adam Courville, director of grants and fellowships at Virginia Humanities. “This year’s recipients continue this tradition with projects that illuminate our past, celebrate our cultural richness, and engage our communities in meaningful dialogue.”
The council selected Tev’n Powers, L. Renée and Donovan Schaefer to receive Public Humanities Fellowships, which help a wide range of Virginians — from writers and university faculty members to independent scholars and community historians — pursue projects related to the Commonwealth’s history and culture. Schaefer and Powers will be in residence at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.
Dr. Sheren Sanders and Dr. Edward Onaci received HBCU Scholars Fellowships, which fund the humanities research of scholars affiliated with Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in service of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) heritage, stories, and communities. The fellowships are made possible by a major grant from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation built on their long record of support for HBCUs.
Rounding out the 2024–25 recipients is Dina Weinstein, who received the council’s inaugural Rosel Schewel Fellowship. Named in honor of Virginia Humanities’ longest-serving board member, this fellowship supports projects that explore and amplify women’s lived experiences, movements, struggles and achievements across the Commonwealth. Weinstein’s work will focus on Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard, VCU’s first Black nursing graduate.
To learn more about Virginia Humanities’ fellowship programs, visit VirginiaHumanities.org/fellowships.
2024–25 Public Humanities Fellows
Tev’n Powers
Location: Norfolk, VA
Project: Fugitive Data Portraits: Self-Emancipation in Virginia
Location: Norfolk, VA
Project: Fugitive Data Portraits: Self-Emancipation in Virginia
L. Renée
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Project: “Comin’ Up on the Rough Side of the Mountain”: Stories of Virginia’s Black Elders
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Project: “Comin’ Up on the Rough Side of the Mountain”: Stories of Virginia’s Black Elders
Dr. Donovan Schaefer
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Project: Forging Feeling: Race, Emotion, and Confederate Commemoration in Virginia
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Project: Forging Feeling: Race, Emotion, and Confederate Commemoration in Virginia
2024–25 HBCU Scholars Fellows
Dr. Sheren Sanders
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Project: Power in Racism: The Biracial Politics of the Readjuster Party
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Project: Power in Racism: The Biracial Politics of the Readjuster Party
Dr. Edward Onaci
Location: Collegeville, PA
Project: “Have You Ever Thought About Survival?”: Black Revolutionaries and a Martial Culture for Liberation
Location: Collegeville, PA
Project: “Have You Ever Thought About Survival?”: Black Revolutionaries and a Martial Culture for Liberation
2024–25 Rosel Schewel Fellow
Dina Weinstein
Location: Richmond, VA
Project: Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard Speaks: Trailblazing Black Nursing School Student Gets the Last Word
Location: Richmond, VA
Project: Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard Speaks: Trailblazing Black Nursing School Student Gets the Last Word
About Virginia Humanities
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state. We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all get to know each other a little better. Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state. We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all get to know each other a little better. Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.