MDAH Announces 2026 Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellow
Vanderbilt PhD candidate Zachary Clary will research African American intellectualism and protest strategy during the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi
Zachary Clary, a doctoral candidate at Vanderbilt University, has been selected as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s 2026 Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellow. This opportunity will contribute to Clary’s doctoral dissertation in History and is made possible by a grant through Lilly Endowment's Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
Clary’s research will take place in Jackson at MDAH’s vast archives, particularly accessing archival resources surrounding the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. Clary will investigate the role of religion and morality in how African Americans viewed the oppression, violence, and death they faced during the movement.
“I am honored to receive the 2026 Religion in Mississippi History Research Fellowship,” Clary said. “The archival materials in Jackson will be a tremendous help to the development of my dissertation project on martyrdom and sacrifice in the American Civil Rights Movement.”
Clary is currently working toward his doctoral degree in History from Vanderbilt University, where he also earned a Master of Arts in History. He also received a Master of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina. Clary previously attended the College of William & Mary for his Bachelor of Arts in History.
The $5,000 fellowship stipend is used to cover travel, housing, and other expenses incurred while conducting primary research at the archives.
In November 2025, MDAH announced that Lilly Endowment, Inc., awarded a $2.5 million grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative to the Foundation for Mississippi History to help MDAH expand public understanding of religious history in Mississippi. This was Lilly Endowment’s second grant to the foundation.
“The Lilly Endowment’s support allows researchers to use the many MDAH archival collections that contain religious history,” said Laura Heller, MDAH acquisitions and collections coordinator. “Clary’s research will expand the field of research around Mississippi religion and related history and culture.”
Archival collections regarding religious history in Mississippi may be accessed at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building in Jackson. For more information on the fellowship or about the collection, contact Heller at 601-576-6889, or by email at fellowships@mdah.ms.gov.