Ashley Howard, University of Iowa assistant professor of history, has been named a 2026 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leader. The recognition comes from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s leading funder of the arts, culture, and humanities.
The $20,000 award will support Howard’s work on her second book, More Than a Snapshot: Will Brown and the Violence of History. The book builds on archival research supported by the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the university to examine how difficult histories are remembered. Howard plans to interview quilters, playwrights, curriculum designers, and local organizers.
“I was over the moon when I learned that I received this award,” Howard says. “When I put my application materials together, I was so proud and grateful to see all that I have accomplished in my time so far at Iowa. And to have such a storied program like the Mellon Foundation recognize that labor was just icing on the cake.”
Howard’s research explores African Americans in the Midwest, racial violence, and the connections between race, class, and gender.
Most recently, Howard with her co-investigator Colin Gordon and their research assistant Izzy Chittick helped provide historical context for informational panels at the new Dr. Lulu Merle Johnson Plaza located at 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City. The Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 29 unveiled a statue honoring Johnson, the first Black woman to earn a doctorate at Iowa and a pioneer in the field of African American studies. The project reflects Howard’s broader interest in how people encounter history and where scholars can work across disciplines to reach larger audiences.
Midwest Unrest wins
Jon Gjerde Prize
Ashley Howard’s first book, Midwest Unrest, recently won the Jon Gjerde Prize, given annually by the Midwestern History Association to the author of the best book in Midwestern history published during the previous calendar year.
After spending more than a decade on the project, Howard says recognition from fellow scholars made the honor especially meaningful.
“To be recognized by your peers, the ones who know your field inside and out, is without parallel,” Howard says.
Those interests also shaped Howard’s award-winning first book, Midwest Unrest, published in June 2025, which examines urban uprisings across the Midwest.
“The Midwest is often seen as a place that did not have to deal with the protests and racial tensions of the 1960s, and so I wanted to commit to not only telling these stories but also to think about what their absence signifies,” Howard says.
At Iowa, an interdisciplinary environment has given Howard opportunities to expand that work, broaden her scholarship, and connect with colleagues across fields.
Since joining the faculty in fall 2019, she has given talks at the College of Law and College of Nursing and collaborated with faculty in areas ranging from sociology to jazz studies and social work. She credits resources such as the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and the Center for Teaching with supporting connections across disciplines.
“To have scholars at the top of their fields weigh in on your scholarship is an experience without parallel,” Howard says. “It has made me a better writer, thinker, and communicator.”
Howard’s dedication to helping students become effective writers and critical thinkers earned her the 2024 James N. Murray Faculty Award and the 2026 CLAS Collegiate Teaching Award.
For Howard, the goal is to help students carry what they learn in the classroom into their lives, long after their time at Iowa.
“I hope they will always cultivate a sense of curiosity, confidence to find answers to life’s thorniest questions, and deep knowledge of self,” Howard says. “The skills that students gain in their college classrooms not only aid in those pursuits but also impart a sense of purpose.”