December 20, 2018

Castro Welcomes $160,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Grants to UTSA, Our Lady of the Lake University

SAN ANTONIO—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman Elect of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, today welcomed two awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for humanities projects focused on the creation of a digital archive of oral histories of women in the military and the role of public works in shaping municipal power in Spain led by professors at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Our Lady of the Lake Univesity (OULA).

“We know the more we invest in our next generation’s education, the bigger promise we have for tomorrow. I was thrilled to see $160,000 in federal grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded to the University of Texas at San Antonio to help them focus on the creation of a digital archive for women in the military oral histories, as well as the role of public works in shaping power in Spain,” said Rep. Castro. “The more UTSA can provide teachers and administrators with innovative, effective training and tools, the more we can help expand educational opportunities for all and build up the Infrastructure of Opportunity in our city, state and nation.” 

Background: The NEH has awarded $100,000 for the creation of a digital archive of oral histories of women in the military. Co-directed by Dr. Kirsten Gardner of UTSA’s Department of History and Dr. Valerie A. Martínez of Our Lady of the Lake University, this project will result in an archive available for use in classroom settings. The archive will provide opportunities for student and faculty training in the professional practice of oral history. In addition, the NEH has awarded $60,000 to Dr. Shelley Roff of UTSA’s College of Architecture, Construction and Planning for her book project titled Treasure of the City: The Public Sphere and Civic Urbanism in Late Medieval Barcelona. Dr. Roff’s work explores the role of public works, monuments, and spaces in shaping municipal power in Barcelona, Spain between 1350 and 1450 CE.

As a founding chair of the Congressional Pre-K Caucus and former Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Committee in the Texas House, Congressman Castro has been a longstanding advocate for access to education. He created the Trailblazers College Tour, personally raising money to send underprivileged students on college visits. In 2010, Congressman Castro founded SA READS, San Antonio’s largest literacy campaign and book drive. Since its creation, over 200,000 books have been distributed to more than 150 schools and shelters across the city.

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