Rhodes College awarded $600,000 for collaboration with National Civil Rights Museum

Rhodes awarded $600,000 for Collaboration with National Civil Right Museum
 
The Andrew W. Mellon foundation has awarded Rhodes College a $600,000 grant to be used in collaboration with The National Civil Rights Museum for research about current social issues in Memphis, such as diversification, health disparities, economic change, and creative placemaking.
 
The grant will also be applied toward creating programming that the partners hope will lead to effective community action, including a series of lectures, performances, and workshops.
 
“The National Civil Rights Museum is proud to continue to partner with Rhodes College to apply theoretical principles practically in community,” said Terri Lee Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum.
 
“It is important that we use the resources available in the museum to further civil society, recognizing what it has taken to get us to this point and what it will require for us to continue to build just communities.”
 
The grant will span over three years and build on the decades-long collaboration that Rhodes and NCRM have already undertaken to create community partnerships and educational experiences around Memphis history and culture.
 
NCRM staff have participated as lecturers and panelists for the Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies and Rhodes faculty members Tim Huebner and Charles McKinney participated in the of the process of planning the museum’s newly-renovated exhibits. The institutions are planning to expand their relationship and develop co-taught courses about social issues in the Memphis community.
 
This project will be led under the auspices of Rhodes’ Memphis Center, led by director of the Rhodes Memphis Center, Dr. Charles Hughes. The Memphis Center operates a variety of initiatives focusing on interdisciplinary study of Memphis and the surrounding region and fosters engaged learning opportunities between students and the community.
 
“This grant represents the next phase in Rhodes College’s long commitment to creating transformative educational opportunities through partnerships in Memphis,” said Hughes.
 
“By joining with the world-class National Civil Rights Museum, we will produce unique experiences on our campus and support the causes of democracy, equity, and justice in our city and beyond,” he added. “It is an incredibly exciting opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”