CCNY Establishes $1.2 Million Grant to Minority Women for ‘Identity-Driven Research’

The City College of New York recently announced a $1.2 million grant that will be exclusively allocated to female minority students looking to pursue “identity-driven” activism research.

A new program entitled “Beyond Identity: A Gendered Platform for Activist Scholars” was announced by CCNY in August. The program, which will operate on a $1.2 million grant, will offer an opportunity exclusively for minority women to explore social justice activism research.

According to the press release, the program is largely centered on social justice themes, such as “identity-driven research,” lessons on “gender and violence” from activist-scholars.

The program combines elements of teaching (learning identity-driven research from activist-scholars studying immigration, social movements, protest, gender and violence); writing (nonfiction narrative writing and political writing from well-established writers from around the world); activism (movement-building workshops from community organizers); and public engagement through student-driven public events, the submission of student’s writing for publication, and the presentation of research findings to relevant policy audiences.

The program will be led by Visiting Professor Nimmi Gowrinathan, who describes the program as an opportunity for under-represented females to “articulate lived experiences” through expressive writing assignments.

“A central component of the program is the ability to articulate lived experiences, and disseminate findings and opinions,” said Gowrinathan. “Sustained, intensive writing courses will push each student to craft nonfiction narratives, as compelling forms of political communication. Without the personal in the political, the stories of these young women remain footnotes in the often exploitative narratives that capture their lives.”

Ana Puente Flores, a CCNY student who works for the new initiative, told Campus Reform in an interview that the program “does not discriminate on gender or race,” despite that those invited to participate in research and access grant funds will be minority female students. A footnote in the program’s press release adds that research opportunities under the grant will also be available to transgender and non-binary individuals.