WMU News

Saillant's work selected for "We the People" initiative

Oct. 24, 2003

KALAMAZOO -- A Western Michigan University professor has received a rare "We the People," designation for research he is doing with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. John Saillant, professor of history and English, won the designation for his work on "Black Antislavery Writings Project: 1760-1829." Saillant, and his project co-director Dr. Roy Finkenbine, assistant professor of history at the University of Detroit Mercy, will produce a two-volume hardbound and electronic edition of various antislavery writings with introductory interpretations.

"We the People" is an initiative sponsored by the NEH that encourages the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes and advance the knowledge of the principles that define America. Saillant's project is one of 41 selected from around the nation and the only one from Michigan.

The names of other projects selected for the designation include "The Papers of Benjamin Franklin" and "The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution."

Because of the "We the People" designation, the original $65,000 NEH grant, awarded in 2002, is now eligible for a matching funds offer of up to $100,000 over a three-year period.

Media contact: Matt Gerard, 269 387-8400, matthew.gerard@wmich.edu


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