Digital History Collaboration Awarded $500,000 Mellon Foundation Grant

Photo by Grant Schol

Brian McGowan, assistant professor of history and lead of the $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant on for the University of Arkansas.

A digital history collaboration between University of Arkansas and Grambling State University has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation.

The grant, awarded to GSU with a significant subgrant to the U of A, will support the next iteration of the collaborative project, “Voices of Grambling: Scaling Digital Equities,” which is an immersive virtual-reality experience that aims to enhance the understanding and interpretation of African American history through advanced digital technology.

The grant, led by Edward Holt with Yanise Days from GSU’s Department of History and Brian McGowan from the U of A’s Department of History, will also scale up an experiential learning lab at GSU that houses the current version of the “Voices of Grambling” project.

“This grant is the largest humanities grant the U of A has received since 1985, and it will be instrumental in advancing our work in the burgeoning digital humanities field,” McGowan said. “It is also poised to capture voices and oral histories that would otherwise be lost.”

GSU’s Holt said the initiative was created following two campus tragedies: the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of the campus’ old University Library. The ultimate mission of the multi-phase “Voices of Grambling” is to record and interpret the African American experience in Northern Louisiana and not lose knowledge of the past.

McGowan and Holt said the project aims to produce several key deliverables, including an interactive VR immersive environment of key past GSU events, two workshops focused on digital equity and Black freedom movements, a public lecture series around the themes of the project, two national conference presentations, and 12 student internships to assist in the development of the work.  

“It also aims to bring together faculty and students from both institutions to discuss and develop strategies for bridging the digital divide between large research institutions and smaller minority-serving institutions,” McGowan said. 

The “Voices of Grambling” project has received previous funding from various organizations, including the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Science Research Council, the Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

So far, McGowan said the project has collected and preserved dozens of oral history interviews, published four seasons of the podcast “Voices of Grambling,” held several public lectures, and has built a digital history and experiential learning lab. He added that these earlier endeavors and the previous grants were instrumental in establishing the groundwork for the Mellon Foundation grant. 

At the U of A, David McNabb, associate dean of research for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, which is home to the Department of History, said the grant fits well with the college’s mission to “enrich lives by promoting discovery, facilitating transformational experiences, and fostering peace through education.”

Caree Banton, chair of U of A’s Department of History, agreed, adding that “By bringing together HBCUs and land-grant institutions for conversations on digital equity, we are not only aiming to empower local communities but to create a collaborative blueprint in the digital humanities for more institutions to follow so that valuable histories aren’t lost as technology continues to move forward.”

“We are proud to be a part of this exciting project and look forward to the benefits it will deliver to both institutions’ students and faculty as well as to the broader community and field of humanities,” she added.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

About Grambling State University: Grambling State University combines the academic excellence of a major institution with the supportive atmosphere of a close-knit community, creating an environment where students are empowered to innovate, lead, and make a meaningful impact. We’re not just an HBCU—we’re trailblazers. As the first and only HBCU with a digital library, we’re breaking boundaries and building a future that celebrates collaboration, community, and curiosity. Founded in 1901 in Grambling, Louisiana, the university offers 46 undergraduate and graduate programs across a historic 590-acre campus. Known for world-class athletics, an internationally acclaimed marching band, and vibrant student life, Grambling State encourages students to explore diverse pathways and embrace endless possibilities. Our ethos—Where Everybody is Somebody—captures the spirit of who we are and the legacy we continue to build together. Learn more at www.gram.edu. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.