Ebony Jones is one of 15 scholars nationwide selected to receive a prestigious scholarship from the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. As a Gilder Lehrman fellow, Jones will spend five weeks in New York City this summer, where she will meet with prominent historians, conduct archival research, and prepare primary source documents related to President Abraham Lincoln for publication. Jones, a senior at the University of New Mexico, is currently writing a senior honors thesis about enslaved African American women and free labor during the Civil War.
Photo: Ebony Jones
The Gilder Lehrman fellowship is intended to foster the next generation of American historians, who are identified and selected for the scholarship based upon the demonstration of "superb research and writing skills in the field of American history."
Jones said, “It is an amazing opportunity as a student in history to interact with some of the leading scholars of American history. The skills gained from this type of scholarly engagement are invaluable. Second, I hope that my unique personal experiences of being a multi-racial young female from New Mexico, can contribute further to the diversity in approaching research, and facilitating discussions and lectures.”
Sarah Cornell, assistant professor of history; and Kimberly Gauderman associate professor of history; recommended Jones for the fellowship.
“I have had Ebony in two courses and am her honors thesis advisor. I can say with no hesitation that Ebony's scholarship is of the highest caliber. In fact, she is one of the top students, if not the very best, that I have had the pleasure of teaching over the past seven years, here at University of New Mexico or at New York University. I was shocked to learn that she performs at such a high level while also working full time as a night-shift nurse,” Cornell said.
Jones’ work is on enslaved African American in contraband camps and the genesis of free labor during the Civil War. While there is a large body of scholarship on black men's actions and experiences during the war, there is very little scholarship about these women because they left very few documents and few other historical actors specifically sought to record their experiences.
“Ebony approached this difficult subject by innovatively using a tremendous array of sources, reading them against the grain and carefully mining them for every detail pertinent to women in contraband camps. While she is just finishing her research and beginning to write, she argues that African American women's actions helped hasten the destruction of the slave labor system,” Cornell said.
Cornell said that Jones is a “promising scholar” who isn’t afraid to offer an interpretation that differs significantly from the classmates’ views. She has the ability to articulate sophisticated analyses and do so in a way that often draws other students, even shy ones, into a productive dialogue.
Jones, who initially planned to pursue a nursing degree, now plans to graduate this December and then go on to graduate school, in history of course.
“My ultimate goal is obtain my Ph.D. and teach, hopefully not only contributing to the field of history in ways that allow us to better understand the past but to also influence the lives of young undergraduates – and graduate students – similar to how several professors here at UNM have influenced me,” she said.
Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at April 23, 2009 03:15 PM