Kevin Wamalwa, a PhD candidate in the Departments of Anthropology and African Cultural Studies, is serving as a Ripple Project Fellow at Dane County Library Services (DCLS). Wamalwa is supporting racial equity training for DCLS staff as well as the library system’s Beyond the Page initiative to facilitate sustainable local community programs that ensure social diversity and inclusion.
Read about Wamalwa and four additional Mellon Public Humanities Fellows’ experiences supporting community organizations amidst the pandemic, how they’re “keeping it all together” and prioritizing mental health, and what advice they have for students seeking roles in nonacademic settings.
Their roles are prime example of the part UW-Madison and the public humanities can play in local communities, even virtually.