Virginia Humanities has announced seven new recipients of its HBCU Scholars Fellowships, bringing together a diverse group of educators, writers and researchers from historically Black colleges and universities in Virginia and North Carolina. 

“Through their research and public engagement, our fellows demonstrate the enduring relevance of the humanities and collectively confront some of the most pressing social and cultural questions of our time,” said Yosef Medina, Virginia Humanities’ director of strategic initiatives. “The HBCU fellowship represents a vital investment in cultivating diverse scholarship and amplifying underrepresented narratives at a time when intellectual freedom and public discourse around inclusion are increasingly contested.” 

Established in 2021, the fellowship program provides financial support, access to publishing outlets, professional development and a peer community for scholars and creatives from HBCUs. The initiative is designed to elevate voices often left out of mainstream academic spaces while nurturing new research and storytelling that reflect the depth of the Black experience. 

Among this year’s fellows is Kemba Smith-Pradia of Virginia Union University, whose project “Virginia’s Prodigal Daughter” draws from her 25 years as a criminal justice advocate. 

“This fellowship will personally help me reconnect with my voice as a writer and scholar by providing the support, visibility and intellectual community I need,” Smith-Pradia said. “It will allow me to transform over 25 years of lived experience as a criminal justice advocate into work that connects history, research, policy and politics while bridging the power of storytelling, justice and social impact.” 

Smith-Pradia first gained national attention in the 1990s after being sentenced to federal prison in connection with her boyfriend’s drug activity — a case that drew widespread calls for sentencing reform. She was granted clemency by President Bill Clinton in 2000, and her story was recently dramatized in the BET+ film “Kemba,” renewing attention to her ongoing advocacy for justice reform. 

Other fellows include Margaret Cox of Hampton University, whose research examines decolonization through creative adaptation; Stephenie Howard of Norfolk State University, who studies African diasporic symbolism and cultural continuity; Cheryl Mango of Virginia State University, exploring the relationship between U.S. presidents and HBCUs; and Michelle Oliver, also of Virginia State, who is investigating the financial exploitation of enslaved people through life insurance and industry. 

Monika Rhue of Johnson C. Smith University will focus on returning archival materials to the communities from which they came, while Hannah Baker Saltmarsh of Hampton University is completing a chapter on the transformative power of poetry. 

The fellowships are supported by major grants from the Mellon Foundation and Google, totaling $1 million. Applications for the next round of HBCU Scholars Fellowships are expected to open in December. For more information, visit VirginiaHumanities.org/fellowships.