Holy Cross professors awarded grants to address racism, fight HIV, and celebrate poets

Photo | Grant Welker College of the Holy Cross campus in Worcester

Write a Comment

By Katherine Hamilton

Three professors from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester received grants from the $800,000 Scholarship in Action, which aims to support Worcester-based research and partnership with the community, according to a Tuesday press release from the college.

The three-year grants are sponsored by New York nonprofit the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and have supported 16 research awards in Worcester.

This cycle’s awardees are Professors Susan Elizabeth Sweeney of the English department, Tsitsi Masvawure of the health studies department, and Munya Munochiveyi of the history department.

Masvawure will work with AIDS Project Worcester, Inc. to document the organization’s past work and highlight the stigma surrounding HIV.

Munochiveyi, who will also work with Masvawure, is partnering with the Family Health Center of Worcester to develop a program to assist health center providers address racism in health care.

Sweeney is collaborating with Worcester County Poetry Association to connect poetry with the community by marking and celebrating sites associated with famous Worcester poets.

The fifth grant cycle for Scholarship in Action is underway with a Feb. 7 deadline.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated professors received $800,000 during this cycle of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awards. The $800,000 grant supports 16 total research projects, not just these three.