The Rosel Schewel Fellowship champions projects that tell inclusive stories of Virginia women. Specifically, the fellowship supports projects that expose and amplify women’s lived experiences, movements, struggles, and achievements across the Commonwealth, honoring Rosel Schewel’s commitment to equality.
About the Fellowship
Rosel Schewel, a dedicated advocate for women’s rights, education, and racial justice, holds the distinction of being Virginia Humanities’ longest-serving board member. A resident of Lynchburg, she founded the local chapter of the League of Women Voters in the 1950s, the Women’s Resource Center in the 1970s, and was the first woman to serve as president of the Agudath Sholom Congregation. At the University of Lynchburg, where she earned her M.Ed., Ed.S., and honorary doctorate, she worked as an Associate Professor of Education and served on the Board of Trustees for 36 years.
The Rosel Schewel Fellowship, in the amount of $25,000 for a 12-month fellowship or $12,500 for a six-month fellowship, will be awarded to a writer, artist, cultural worker, or community scholar working in and around the story of women in Virginia. The fellowship will culminate in a public event and presentation. The fellow may also have the opportunity to partner with Virginia Humanities’ programs such as With Good Reason radio, Encyclopedia Virginia, the Virginia Center for the Book, the Virginia Festival of the Book, the Virginia Folklife Program, and the Office of Education and Community Initiatives.
Eligibility
Fellows must be eighteen years or older, be a US citizen, and reside in Virginia. Project proposals must be relevant to communities within Virginia. We welcome all applicants, including those from members of historically marginalized communities who have not had access to funding for creative and cultural pursuits. Virginia Humanities is both the state humanities council and a unit of the University of Virginia, and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.
Deliverables and Expectations
We encourage proposals that engage public audiences in creative, novel, and meaningful ways. Fellows are required to dedicate a substantial amount of their time towards their identified topic area throughout the duration of the fellowship and are advised to take a leave of absence from their primary places of work. This fellowship has a public program requirement. At the conclusion of the six- to 12-month fellowship, projects or developed research will be presented to a public audience in coordination with Virginia Humanities. The fellowship should result in something that a public audience can engage with, learn from, or experience such as:
- Websites/Digital Projects
- Publicly accessible archives
- Books
- Scholarly journal articles
- Exhibits
- Podcasts
- Oral Histories
Timeline
- March 4, 2026: Application opens
- May 1, 2026: Application deadline
- July 2026: Decisions announced
- September 1, 2026: Fellowship begins
How to Apply
Complete the application form, including:
- Project Proposal
- Curriculum Vita or Resume
- Request two letters of recommendation
Current Rosel Schewel Fellow
Morgan Avery McCoy Harris, 2025
Award-winning actress, playwright, and filmmaker Morgan Avery McCoy Harris is a passionate history preserver and hope distributor. For over a decade, she has toured nationally with her acclaimed one-woman shows, including Evolution of a Black Girl, sponsored by the late Louis Gossett Jr., and She’s Got Issues. Her work has been presented at more than 100 colleges, corporations, churches, and cultural institutions, earning her the APCA Cultural Act of the Year Award. Harris is also the co-founder of First Class, a film series celebrating American “firsts,” and her romantic comedy Finding Boaz streams on Peacock. She has directed documentaries including the How Do We Heal series in partnership with VCU’s Wright Center and has been commissioned by organizations such as the Richmond Symphony, the Maymont Foundation, and federal and state government agencies to bring stories to life on both stage and screen.
With the support of the Virginia Humanities Rosel Schewel Fellowship, Harris will expand her theatrical project Bricks Without Straw: Virginia’s Finest – Women of History Who Made It Despite the Odds. This multimedia production and digital archive will bring to life the stories of 10 extraordinary Virginia women—such as Maggie Walker, Elizabeth Keckley, and Barbara Johns—who built businesses, led movements, and transformed their communities despite systemic barriers. Through a two-city theatrical tour featuring powerful first-person monologues, paired with immersive storytelling, workshops, and a digital archive of filmed monologues and educational resources, the project will ensure these legacies are accessible to audiences across Virginia and beyond, inspiring new generations to build their own “bricks” of change.
Past Rosel Schewel Fellows
Dina Weinstein, 2024
Dina Weinstein is an award-winning Richmond, Virginia-based print and audio journalist. She is a writer for Virginia Commonwealth University’s VCU News website focusing on people, programs, trends and events in higher education. Her articles and interviews have also been published in dozens of publications and outlets including most recently the Henrico Citizen, Richmond magazine and on WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond Community Public Radio.
Before moving to Richmond, Dina advised the student newspaper at Miami Dade College in South Florida while writing about higher education, book reviews, the arts, parenting, civil rights anniversaries and Jewish life for numerous publications. Boston born and raised, Dina earned a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University.
With the support of the Virginia Humanities Rosel Schewel Fellowship, Dina will further the story of Charlotte Anne Wynn Pollard, the first Black nursing student at the Medical College of Virginia, the precursor to Virginia Commonwealth University, by bringing to life Pollard’s voice, buried in a document in VCU’s archives, along with perspectives of those who best knew her and the field of nursing in Virginia. Pollard’s challenges, trailblazing experiences and impactful career in the face of discrimination and adversity will be publicly told through radio productions, print articles and public presentations.
