About the Richard A. Yarborough Award

The Minority Scholars Committee of the American Studies Association's Richard A. Yarborough Mentoring Award honors a scholar who demonstrates dedication to and excellence in mentoring. The award honors Richard A. Yarborough, an American historian and literary critic whose focuses include African-American literature and nineteenth and twentieth century American literature. He co-edits the Heath Anthology of American Literature series and teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was awarded the inaugural prize for his consistent dedication to mentoring and advising minority scholars.

The Minority Scholars’ Committee of the American Studies Association invites nominations for the 2024 Richard A. Yarborough Mentoring Award. 

Nominations will be considered “active” for three years, including the year of initial submission. Those submitting nominations are welcome to send updated or additional information every year during that time, to supplement the original nomination packet. Any supplements must be received by the deadline for submission of nominations of any given year.

One set of nominating materials must be submitted through the ASA website by July 19, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted. Please submit the following in your nominating packet:

  • A letter of nomination (a minimum of 1.5 but no longer than 4 single-spaced pages) describing the nominee’s achievements in mentoring underrepresented students and faculty working in the field of American studies, broadly construed. This statement should include his or her contributions at their home institution and in the broader community. This statement might also address the nominee’s scholarly contributions, as well as the impact of the nominee’s research on the careers of underserved and underrepresented communities.
  • Supporting letters from collaborators, colleagues, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate and graduate students mentored. Although these letters can be individually authored, nominators are welcome to solicit a smaller set of collectively authored letters with multiple signatories.
  • The nominee’s CV

Submitted materials should be representative, rather than exhaustive. Total materials submitted should not exceed 25 pages. For more information, potential nominators may contact the Minority Scholars Committee members Dr. Crystal Rudds crystal.rudds@utah.edu and Dr. Summer Hamilton slh6429@psu.edu. 

The winner will be contacted regarding the annual meeting of the association to be held November 14-17, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland, where they will be announced as the awardee.

Past Richard Yarborough Awards:

  • 2023: Prof. Evelyn Azeeza Alsultany, University of Southern California
  • 2022: Jean O'Brien, University of Minnesota
  • 2020 Frances Aparicio, Northwestern University
  • 2019 Richard T. Rodríguez, University of California, Riverside
  • 2018 Lisa Lowe, Yale University
  • 2017 Ruth Wilson Gilmore, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York
  • 2016 Martin F. Manalansan IV, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • 2015 Mark Anthony Neal, Duke University
  • 2014 José Esteban Muñoz, New York University
  • 2013 Paul Spickard, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • 2012 Richard Yarborough, University of California, Los Angeles