The Institute for Diversity and Civic Life is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant for $250,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the Migration Narratives Project, a rapid-response grantmaking program to fund the work of scholars, activists and artists who are exploring the stories of immigrants and refugees in Texas through narrative, oral history and other interpretive storytelling methods. This program deepens and expands our Religions Texas public humanities and oral history initiative, which works to gather, preserve, and amplify the untold stories of Texas.
Migration has profoundly shaped Texas and the United States as a whole. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that the U.S. immigration system is deeply flawed. As a border state, Texas has experienced the effects of this broken system. With an incoming presidential administration poised to take new approaches to immigration reform, it is a crucial time to foster public conversations about migration, immigrants, refugees, asylees, and their families in American society. These conversations need to be informed by on-the-ground narratives that illuminate the lived experiences of individuals and allow for nuance, complexity, and a view into the multidimensional perspectives of immigrant families.
The Migration Narratives Project will award up to 20 sub-grants to scholars, religious and civic leaders, activists, and artists to support community-based narrative initiatives that document experiences of migration with an emphasis on relationships between religion, religious communities and migration experiences. The project will use a cohort model to provide grantees with the support of networks and resources in addition to funding support. Grant recipients will also share the findings of their research via a multimedia digital exhibit hosted on the Religions Texas website.
The Migration Narratives Project will be led by IDCL Executive Director Dr. Tiffany Puett. IDCL Director of Operations Sadia Tirmizi will serve as Project Manager. A Grants Jury Committee will be co-chaired by Dr. Puett and Dr. Habiba Noor, Trinity University.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy. We are grateful for the Luce Foundation’s support.
