(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA  • May 10, 2022)—Delaware County Community College Political Science Professor Dr. Ife Williams is the recipient of a $40,000 faculty research fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), with the support of the Mellon Foundation, for her research titled, Enhancement of Digital Map on African and African Diaspora Slave Revolts. Mellon/ACLS fellowships support the research of faculty who teach at two-year colleges, and are made possible by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation. Built upon decades of scholarship on slavery by Dr. Williams, this project maps approximately 400 revolts by Africans and African descendants against the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and slavery. Each location is designated along with the year and a succinct description of the corresponding revolt.

“The purpose of this grant is to digitally enhance each marker with audio, video, animation and other forms of multimedia technology to bring interactive stories of revolts across the globe alive. The content will be integrated into four courses at Delaware County Community College and shared with students, faculty and the public through online platforms, higher education institutions and through academic conferences,” says Dr. Williams of Philadelphia. Access the map at tinyurl.com/Revolt-Map .

Dr. Williams is one of 30 faculty at two-year institutions who received Mellon/ACLS fellowships in recognition of their contributions for advancing humanistic scholarship. The fellows also will participate in a multi-day convening hosted by ACLS that will bring current and past awardees together with academic leaders to share perspectives from their work.

“ACLS is proud to have led this singular program, which has supported exceptional faculty working at community colleges across the country,” says ACLS President Joy Connolly. “The commitment of these fellows to bringing vibrant humanistic inquiry into the undergraduate classroom is exemplary, and we look forward to drawing on their experience and expertise as we develop new opportunities to support scholars in the humanities and interpretive social sciences.”

According to Dr. Williams, her finished product will provide students and instructors with multimedia files telling stories such as the following: “In 1802, a visibly pregnant 30-year-old African woman named Solitude led Guadeloupean forces against French troops. After 18 days of rebellion, the revolutionaries set off gunpowder, resulting in the deaths of more than 400 rebels and soldiers. Solitude was captured and sentenced to death after the birth of her unborn baby as the child was the property of her owner. She was executed the day after the birth of her child. The Guadeloupean revolt’s guiding principle was that they would ‘live free or die.’”