As an affirmation of its commitment to support racial equity and inclusion in graduate education at The University of New Mexico, Graduate Studies announced a new initiative to offer five awards for eligible graduate students conducting research on topics related to what can be broadly called critical race scholarship, with priority given to studies that focus on race in the United States.

Recipients will be named Critical Race Scholars will receive an award of $2,000 for the Fall 2020-Spring 2021 academic year to support and facilitate research on studies of race. Topics might include but are certainly not limited to studies of slavery and its legacies; research on Black Lives Matter or related social movements; critical race theories, pedagogies, and practices; and protest, activism, and social change, to name a few.

“Intersectionality is a hallmark of Critical Race Studies,” explained associate dean of Graduate Studies Jesse Alemán. “So the award invites graduate scholars who might be coming at the question of race from different angles, from literary, historical, or social critique to gender, sex, and class analysis. The goal is to support graduate scholars whose work intersects at the study of race, racism, racial violence, or movements for social equality in the United States.”

Critical Race Scholars will form a cohort that will meet during the tenure of the award to share and discuss their research. Their work will also be featured in a Graduate Studies hosted platform in Spring 2021, such as the Shared Knowledge Conference or other viable events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Graduate Studies stands united with the UNM community and the Council of Graduate Schools against racism and racial violence, and we seek to support graduate scholars whose work sets out to change the course of our racial histories for the better,” said Julie Coonrod, dean of Graduate Studies.

For more details about the award, including eligibility and deadline, see the Graduate Studies website.