NAP Scholarship

India Mallard

Kemisa Kassa

2026 NAP SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES

The Nomadic Archivists Project is delighted to announce India Mallard and Kemisa Kassa as the recipients of the 2026 NAP Scholarship.

This year's scholarship recipients embody the power of memory work to challenge erasure, strengthen communities, and create just and expansive archival futures. Selected from an outstanding pool of applicants, India and Kemisa demonstrate an inspiring commitment to preserving history.

India Mallard is a cultural archivist, MLIS student at the University of Maryland, and steward of Afro-diasporic histories whose work is grounded in Black feminist and archipelagic archival practices. Through her work with the Women in Hip-Hop Archive, India approaches archives as living, sacred spaces where memory, spirit, and survival intersect. Her scholarship weaves together archival research, community preservation, and diasporic collaboration through projects with the Women in Hip-Hop Archive, the Guerrilla Archiving Program in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and engagement with Caribbean archivists through the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL). India’s vision of archives as infrastructures for healing, cultural continuity, and collective liberation resonated deeply with the review committee.

Kemisa Kassa is a master's student in Information Science at UNC Chapel Hill whose work focuses on confronting archival silences and expanding representation through Black Queer archives and digital community archiving. Inspired by the need to preserve stories that have historically been excluded from institutional collections, Kemisa's research explores how Black Queer archives build and sustain representative digital collections. Her commitment extends beyond research to practice through her participation in Archiving the Black Web, where she has developed web archive collections documenting Black digital archives, Black Muslim women, and Black Queer creators. Grounded in feminist ethics of care and community-centered archival approaches, Kemisa's work reflects a commitment to preserving histories, fostering belonging, and ensuring that marginalized communities can tell their own stories on their own terms.

The Nomadic Archivists Project is honored to support India and Kemisa on their archival journeys.

Please join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved recognition.

See past scholarship awardees here.

SCHOLARSHIP BACKGROUND

Since its inception in 2020, the NAP Scholarship has supported 10 archivists of African or African descent, providing financial assistance to MLIS students, early-career and independent archivists. By reducing financial barriers to professional development and archival projects, the scholarship helps recipients build their skills, expand their networks, and advance their practices. We are proud to invest in the next generation of archivists and support the important work they are doing to shape the future of archives.

ELIGIBILITY

The NAP Scholarship is an annual award of up to $1,500 that can be used to support an archival or family history project, attend an archives conference such as the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, or participate in archival workshops, trainings, and other professional development opportunities.

Must be current undergraduate or graduate students (enrolled in MLIS-eligible program), or independent archivists who hold a degree in archival science or a related field or have demonstrated professional experience working in the archival field
Of African descent
Committed to being or becoming an archivist
Demonstrates a need for the scholarship

NOT ELIGIBLE

Archival research projects (e.g., thesis or dissertation projects, publications)
Exhibitions or public events
Reimbursements for costs incurred for archival-related projects

APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE

Statement of Interest (500-750 words, maximum)
Resume
Headshot
Simple Budget

The application period will be open from March 1, 2027, through March 31, 2027. Awardee will be notified by May 15, 2027.

Should you have any questions, please contact Miranda Mims: miranda@nomadicarchivistsproject.com.

SPONSORSHIP

We appreciate the community's effort to assist visionary new archivists on their archival journey. We would like to acknowledge scholarship donors Tanya M. Beltran, Novella Ford, Minda Harts, William Johnson, Dr. Ida Jones, Diana Lachatanere, Damien Laudier, Lee Levingston Perine, Cornelius Moore, Rodney Nelson, Lela Sewell-Williams, Azure Thompson, and Artis Wright. Thank you for your support of library science students and archivists of African descent globally!

Interested in becoming a sponsor? NAP is currently accepting all levels of support for the scholarship. Sponsors will be publicly acknowledged on our website.

Please contact Miranda Mims: miranda@nomadicarchivistsproject.com if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.