The Library of Congress American Folklife Center is pleased to announce the inaugural recipient cohort of the Community Collections Grant program. Beginning in March, these 10 awardees will work over the next 12 months to complete a range of engaging and meaningful research. This work will ultimately be included in the Library’s various permanent collections.
This series of grants, part of the Of the People: Widening the Path initiative, is awarded to individuals and organizations working to document cultures and traditions of Black, Indigenous and communities of color historically underrepresented in the United States and in the Library’s collections.
Of the extremely diverse applicants and projects, a mix of 10 individuals and organizations have been chosen receive up to $60,000 each to fund field research within Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Karen Abdul-Malik {Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware}
PROJECT: Community on the Line: The Culture of R&B Urban Line Dancing in the Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware Tri-state Area
Jorge Félix {Chicago, Illinois}
PROJECT: Sofrito Conversations: Bridging the North and West of Chicago
Tammy Greer {Louisiana – southern coastal parishes}
PROJECT: And We Are Still Here: Indigenous Culture Bearers of Houma Communities
Mark Lupenui {Kohala, Hawai’i (Big Island)}
PROJECT: Unearthing the Lost Songs of Kohala
Russell Oliver {Puerto Rico}
PROJECT: Documenting the Stories, Agricultural Traditions, and Culture of Specialty Coffee Farmers in Puerto Rico
Isaac Rodriguez {Houston, Texas}
PROJECT: Sonidos de Houston: Documenting the City’s Chicano Music Scene
Phanat Xanamane {Broussard (Iberia Parish), Louisiana}
PROJECT: Louisiana Lao New Year Archive (LLNY)
2022 ORGANIZATION RECIPIENTS
Habele Outer Island Education Fund {Federated States of Micronesia /Outer Islands of Yap State}
PROJECT: Warp and Weft of the Remathau
Urban Artistry {New York, Illinois, Michigan, California, Maryland and Washington, D.C.}
PROJECT: Follow the Music: Exploring Multi-Linear Legacies of House Culture
Wichita State University {Wichita, Kansas, and Western Kansas}
PROJECT: Fiestas: Latinx Celebrations in Western Kansas
For more information on the recipients’ projects, visit the Of the People: Widening the Path website.