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MELLON FELLOWS
Recent Research Topics
• The Iconography of Ethiopia in 19th
Century African American Political
Thought
• The Hip Hop Generation and the
Civil Rights Generation
• Domestic Abuse Among Latinos
• Hawaiian Identities and Racial
Formation
• Constructing and Representing
the Korean Diaspora
• Constructions of Gender in 20th
Century Japanese Literature
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By Amber Riley ’09
Little Rock, Arkansas
American Studies
Last year I was one of five U.S. students
of color selected for Macalester’s Mellon
Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program.
This program prepares students for graduate
school, particularly a teaching career
in higher education. Each fellow regularly
meets with a faculty mentor to develop,
design, and complete a scholarly research
project.
As a black female growing up in the
American South, I was interested in how
important it had become for some women
in the African American community to
maintain long, straight, and flowing hair,
something that we are not born with. I
wondered what role history had played
in shaping this preference and how it
has been perpetuated in contemporary
practices.
After my summer of research, I find myself
more confident in my convictions and
abilities.
After an initial meeting with my faculty
mentor, history professor Lynn Hudson, I
realized that my background in discussing
and studying race, gender, and class was
limited. Together, we decided on a bibliography
of articles and books that would
expose me to the material I needed.
After my summer of research, I find myself
more confident in my convictions and
abilities. The Mellon Program has opened
doors for me in scholarship, community
outreach, and personal growth. It has
further proven that Macalester is where
I am meant to be.
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