Cara Ward, Tiffany Gilbert and Lynn Mollenauer and have received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant in the amount of $167,639 for the project, "Wilmington 1898: Geographies of Rage, Resistance, and Resilience." Ward is an assistant professor in the Watson College of Education, Gilbert is chair of UNCW’s Department of English and Mollenauer is an associate professor in the Department of History.
The project will offer a two-week educational institute to 25 middle and high school teachers from across the country. The teachers will spend time at UNCW studying the history and legacy of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre.
"Using the 1898 Wilmington massacre and coup as a case study, this institute will provide a unique opportunity for participants to learn from scholars, community advocates, filmmakers, and descendants of those impacted,” Mollenauer said. “The teachers will be developing materials and planning applied learning experiences that will help their students to understand the complexity and resilience of American democracy as well as to consider how historical events connect to present-day issues."
Dr. Ward began her career as a high school social studies teacher. As a Watson College faculty member, a key focus of her research includes how racialized violence - particularly the 1898 Wilmington Coup - is addressed in curriculum standards.
“Conversations with teachers over the past few years indicate that many want to teach their students about the 1898 coup, but they do not have the necessary background knowledge or resources,” Ward said. “This program will allow participants to immerse themselves in a comprehensive study of 1898 so that they are well-prepared to explore it with students.”
UNCW announced the grant award on September 7: UNCW Receives $177,639 in NEH Funding.
The NEH grant program, which provided $41.3 million to 280 projects nationwide this cycle, aims to support humanities education, research, preservation and public programs. Across North Carolina, NEH awarded more than $2.7 million as part of its grant program to universities, museums, historical societies, and other organizations supporting the humanities. A full list of awards can be found on the NEH website.
WECT, September 7: UNCW receives $177,639 in grant funding for humanities
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