August 14, 2024
Dr. Rachel Kline and Molly Lester are selected as Awardees.
Washington, D.C. –The National Archives Foundation, the nonprofit partner of the National Archives and Records Administration, announces the selection of the 2024 Cokie Roberts Women’s History Fellowship. Dr. Rachel Kline and Molly Lester were selected as the fourth annual Cokie Roberts Women’s History Fellows and will each receive $7,500 along with support for their research projects at the National Archives.
Sixty-four applicants proposed a diverse array of research topics, including delving into the life and legacy of the first woman Assistant Secretary of Defense to investigating who actually authored the exact language in the finalized 19th Amendment.
“Cokie spent her career highlighting the stories of American women. This year’s talented fellows are continuing that legacy with their creative, thoughtful work,” stated Rebecca Boggs Roberts, a writer of women’s history and Cokie Roberts’ daughter.
The fellowship is supported by the Foundation’s Cokie Roberts Research Fund for Women’s History, which was launched in 2019 to honor the noted author and journalist Cokie Roberts, who spent her career shining light on the stories of countless women in U.S. history that were previously unknown to the public. Roberts served as a board member of the Foundation for nearly 20 years. The fund was established in her honor and encourages new research at the National Archives in the field of women’s history.
“The roles of American women in our society are documented throughout the records in our care, and this Fellowship helps contribute significant scholarship to the field of women’s history,“ said Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan. “I’m grateful that the National Archives Foundation Cokie Roberts Women’s History Fellowship supports original research that shares our holdings with a nationwide audience. Through their work, more Americans will connect with the stories of women who have helped shape our country.”
Molly Lester is a historian of the built environment, and currently serves as the Associate Director of the Urban Heritage Project at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. Her research interests include the role of women in shaping the American built environment in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with particular focus on architect Minerva Parker Nichols (1862-1949) and the She-She-She Camps of the New Deal. She is the author of Building Ghosts: Past Lives and Lost Places in a Changing City (Fall 2024, Temple University Press) and the co-author of Minerva Parker Nichols: The Search for a Forgotten Architect (2024, distributed by Yale University Press).
Rachel D. Kline is a Public Historian of women, the environment, and public lands. She is a Supervisory Historian for the USDA Forest Service and holds a PhD from the University of New Hampshire and an MA from Colorado State University. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles, public history reports, and community histories. She will be conducting research at the National Archives to complete her forthcoming book, We Feminine Foresters: Women and the USDA Forest Service.
In addition to the Fellows, two finalists, Gail Ablow and Dr. Lisa Tetrault, have been selected as Cokie Roberts Women’s History Commended Scholars, each receiving $1,000 to support their research.
The Fellows’ research projects will be featured in a future National Archives News article, and in National Archives public programs hosted in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives Museum or online through National Archives and Foundation channels.
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About the National Archives Foundation
The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that increases public awareness of the National Archives, inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage, and encourages citizen engagement in our democracy. The Foundation generates financial and creative support for National Archives’ exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, introducing America’s records to people around the U.S. and the world. Learn more at www.archivesfoundation.org.
About the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent federal agency that serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving our government’s records so people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. From the Declaration of Independence to accounts of ordinary Americans, the holdings of the National Archives directly touch the lives of millions of people. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries and on the Internet at archives.gov.
