Pitt Law’s Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice announced its 2024 student scholar awardees

Seven University of Pittsburgh students were named recipients of the Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice (CCRRJ) Scholar Award, which supports students committed to advancing civil rights and racial justice through academic, research, legal or practical applications.

CCRRJ facilitates community-engaged teaching, research and service, serving as a hub for Pitt Law’s commitment to addressing legal issues related to civil rights and racial justice.

These awardees will receive $1,000 each:

• Abdelrahman ElGendy, an Egyptian writer and activist studying in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, will attend the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Workshop to present his in-progress memoir, “We Write on Walls,” on his experience as a political prisoner in Egypt.
• Ana Marrugo-Gomez, an anthropology student in the Dietrich School, will continue her ethnographic study of emergent post-strike collectivities in Colombia, focusing on alternative forms of political action protesting police violence and state repression.
• Carolina Hernandez, a PhD student studying sociology in the Dietrich School, researches intersectional racial justice in Arizona, analyzing how Latin American immigrant activists resist white supremacy and advance racial justice.
• Chelsea Jimenez, a PhD candidate at Pitt’s Center for Urban Education, is investigating the Gullah Geechee culture's language resistance in the context of an anti-Black state, challenging narratives of anti-Blackness in schools and society.
• Jenn Lee, a doctoral student in the School of Social Work, aims to address oral health disparities among immigrant communities in Pittsburgh, contributing to broader public health outcomes through interdisciplinary approaches.
• Lauren Narbey, a certified nurse midwife studying in the School of Nursing, will explore lactation support for individuals with substance use, advocating for the rights of this vulnerable population.
• Elijah Winborne, a student in the School of Law, will continue work focused on breaking down barriers to justice for minority communities, supporting the Derrick Bell Pro Bono Legal Clinic and conducting research on laws discriminating against Black people.

— Nick France