Mellon Graduate Fellows in U.S. Law and Race

Funded by the Mellon Foundation, this three-week residential fellowship program supports four graduate students at the University of Nebraska's U.S. Law and Race Initiative. The Mellon Graduate Fellows have the opportunity to advance their own research and writing projects addressing race and racialization in U.S. law and history, contribute to an Open Educational Resource, and engage with faculty mentors aiming to understand racialized people's use of the law to advance personhood, citizenship, rights, and sovereignty throughout American history.

2025 Mellon Fellows

  1. Avatar for Keziah Anderson
    Harvard University
    Work
  2. Avatar for Jerry Chen
    Harvard University
    Work
  3. Avatar for Annabelle Lyne
    University of Kansas
    Work
  4. Avatar for Katie Wu
    University of Virginia
    Work
Three Mellon Graduate Fellows in U.S. Law and Race present their research on legal cases of enslaved people seeking freedom, along with a discussion about the importance of building research models that bring such stories into a broader conversation about American history.

Previous Fellows

  • Avatar for Kasha Appleton
    Indiana University 2024 Fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Address
  • Avatar for Emma Herman
    Harvard University 2024 Fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Address
  • Avatar for Taneil Ruffin
    Princeton University 2024 Fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Address
  • Avatar for Hannah Simmons
    Northwestern University 2024 Fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln
    Address