Highlander Research and Education Center

Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee will expand its digital collection of archival materials detailing nearly 90 years of work as a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South. By recovering, digitizing, translating, and organizing documents, Highlander will create accessible materials that share its history, people, programs, methodologies, and role in social movements. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly slowed this work. Funding will allow Highlander to boost its personnel capacity to move compelling materials online in advance of its ninetieth anniversary. These resources, including recent material rooted in and responsive to current conditions experienced as a result of the pandemic, will broaden online access for national and international grassroots organizers, researchers, academics, and authors seeking stories about the Highlander's decades of service.