Travel Fund Award for Archives & Archivists of Color
In recent years, the archives profession has made strides to improve the representation of people of color in archival collections. In addition, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives are working to increase the number of people of color in the archives field. However, we still have a long way to go. On January 31, 2023, the Society of American Archivists released The Archives Administrator Survey Report, the second report in its A*CENSUS II series. According to this report, “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals are underrepresented among archives administrators. BIPOC individuals make up just 11 percent of archives administrators, while 88 percent of archives administrators are White.”
In an effort to support graduate students and emerging archivists of color in making professional connections and building bridges toward future employment and leadership opportunities, the CAA Archives and Archivists of Color Interest Group created the Travel Fund Award. This award supported attendance at the Midwest Archives Conference and was also open to graduate students or emerging archivists who recognize the importance of expanding the scope of archival collections to reflect underrepresented communities of people of color.
The AAC Interest Group began administering this award in 2018. Previous recipients include:
Many thanks to all of the CAA members and friends of CAA who have donated to this award over the years. If you have questions, please contact info@chicagoarchivists.org.