ABA is pleased to announce several unique award opportunities for which recipients will be announced during the 2013 AAA meetings in Chicago.  The deadline for all award submissions is May 1, 2013.  All applicants must be ABA members.  Please visit the ABA website for more details.

 Vera Green Publication Award

The Association of Black Anthropologists (ABA) invites new academics to submit short essays in competition for the Vera Green Publication Award.  The winning article will be published in Transforming Anthropology, the journal of the ABA.  This article can focus on any geographic region of the world but it must pertain to public anthropology.  The Award Committee frames public anthropology as work that engages and/or directly advocates for persons and communities outside of academia.  Articles that discuss broad historical or conceptual issues, or that emerge from a narrow question or specific research site are acceptable.  The committee will evaluate articles based on the depth of research, theoretical contribution and applied relevance to the field.

The award is offered in honor of Vera Mae Green (1928-82, PhD U Arizona 1969) who was a pioneer in the fields of public and Caribbean anthropology.  Green actively encouraged African Americans and other people of color to pursue careers in anthropology.

Candidates must be ABD or have received a PhD in or after 2008. Essays must be submitted electronically (PDF or Microsoft Word).  Essays should be 5–7 pages and accompanied by applicant’s PhD completion date or verification of ABD status.

If you have questions, please contact Aimee Cox (acox10@fordham.edu).

John L Gwaltney Native Anthropology Scholarship

The Association of Black Anthropologists is pleased to invite applications for the John L Gwaltney Native Anthropology Scholarship.  This award was launched in 1999 with a contribution from the Gwaltney family, to honor the life and intellectual legacy of John Gwaltney (1928–88) whose interests included a strong focus on Black life in industrial cities.

The scholarship will be awarded to assist emerging scholars to further their research. Preference will be given to scholars who are ABD or post-graduate who have not held the position of assistant professor for more than two years though consideration will be given to individuals whose accomplishments are comparable outside of the academic setting.  Preference will also be given to scholars from the four subfields and applied practice of anthropology, but consideration will be given to those in other disciplines who meet the overall criteria.  The winner or winner(s) will receive a certificate and a cash award ($500).

Proposals will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Significance to African Americans and/or the African Diaspora;
• Evidence of the public and community engagement and/or activist nature of the research;
• Originality of the research topic;
• Organization, quality, and clarity of writing;
• Effective use of both theory and data; and
• Timeliness and relevance of the topic.

Please visit ABA Awards for the full application process. If you have questions, please contact Melanie EL Bush (bush@adelphi.edu).

Johnnetta B Cole Student Travel Award

The Association of Black Anthropologists (ABA) will grant a $500 award to be used for travel to the annual meetings of the American Anthropological Association (AAA).  The award is meant to supplement travel expenses to the AAA annual meeting while furthering the mission of the ABA and the anthropology of people of African descent.

Candidates must be current members of ABA and enrolled in a PhD or Masters Program at the time of the application deadline.  Eligible candidates must meet one of the following three criteria:

•   Attending the AAA meetings to give a paper related to the anthropology of people of African descent;
•   Organizing a panel, workshop, or roundtable addressing issues related to people of African descent or;
•   Gainfully seeking employment as a scholar, researcher or applied anthropologist interested in fields related to the anthropology of people of African descent.

Interested individuals are required to submit a 1,000 word summary of their research project which includes: project statement, summary of preliminary or on-going research in relation to the project, application and relevance of the work to the anthropology of people of African descent.  In addition, candidates must submit one of the following three supporting documents which reflects their participation in the annual meeting:

•   A copy of your abstract and the name of the session;
•   A copy of the abstract of your session and its scheduled date;
•   A 250 word statement detailing your job search plans at the meeting.

If you have questions, please contact Marla Frederick (frederic@fas.harvard.edu).

ABA Legacy Scholar Award

The ABA Legacy Scholar Award was established in 2008 to honor senior anthropologists for their significant contributions to research, scholarship, and service to communities of African descent in the United States and throughout the African Diaspora.  The award embraces the idea of Sankofa, the Akan word meaning looking back to move forward. We use the symbol of the Sankofa bird to represent an appreciation of the past—paying tribute and respect to those who came before us.  In this way, ABA recognizes our elders for having created career opportunities for Black anthropologists and others over time as well as a path for others to follow in the discipline.  We appreciate and thank them for their example, commitment and professionalism.

Candidates for the ABA Legacy Scholar Award can either be nominated by colleagues or selected directly by the ABA Legacy Scholar Award Committee.  Nominations should include the candidate’s name and a brief 250-word description of their contribution to the field.

Candidates for the ABA Legacy Scholar Award should:

• Have significant research or applied contribution to the field of anthropology;
• Have work related to the people of African descent; and
• Have at least 25 years of professional experience.

Nominations may be sent to Kimberly Eison Simmons (ksimmons@mailbox.sc.edu).

Aimee Cox (Fordham U), Melanie Bush (Adelphia U), Marla Frederick (Harvard U), and Kimberly Simmons (U South Carolina) are members of the ABA Awards Committee.

Contributions to this column can be sent to karen g williams (kwilliams2@gc.cuny.edu).