University of Houston senior Andrea Tribble spent summer 2024 uncovering the overlooked stories of Black women activists in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of her prestigious Mellon Research Fellowship. 

Tribble, an African American Studies major, focused her research on Black women who participated in campus protest movements during the 1960s and 1970s under the mentorship of Dr. Ameenah Shakir, an assistant professor in the department. 

The project was inspired by Lynn Eusan's activism at UH. Tribble's research expanded to include figures like Rosemary Freeman, who attended the University of Minnesota and led the Black Student Union at Mills College in Oakland, California, in 1969. 

"They dismantled what it meant to be a respectable young woman at their institutions," Tribble said. "They did not let themselves be confined by how society viewed Blackness and womanhood at that time." 

Working remotely with Mills College library staff, Tribble examined over 200 files including administrative records, photographs and correspondence from the bookstore protest. The archives also contained student demands to the administration. 

Tribble's research has gained recognition, earning acceptance to student research showcases at both the Association of Black Women Historians' 45th conference in New Orleans and the National Council for Black Studies. 

Dr. Shakir praised Tribble's work, noting, "As a recipient of the PURS and Mellon Summer Fellowship, Tribble demonstrates great promise with research interests in digital humanities and student activism during the 1960s." 

Shakir emphasized that undergraduate research opportunities are essential to academic success and enhance UH's value as an institution. Tribble plans to pursue a career as an archivist.