Brigitte A. Lewis
Brigitte A. Lewis (BA African American Studies, English ’21) is a 2021 National Collegiate Honors Council Portz Scholar—one of four recipients nationwide.
She presented her honors thesis during the 56th NCHC conference and was recognized for her paper’s unique originality and the depth and breadth of her research.
“The award exemplifies to me that this research can make a real impact.”
Lewis’ thesis, “The Legend of Neptune: A Portrait of Enslavement and Emancipation in 18th-Century Worcester County, Massachusetts,” focuses on uncovering the voice, history, and stories of an enslaved and then free Black man named Neptune. The project uses primary sources to construct a narrative chronicling Neptune’s life and experiences, supported by secondary historical research.
While growing up in Harvard, Massachusetts, Lewis often heard stories about Neptune, a man enslaved by the original owner of her 300-year-old childhood home. She began her research in high school with a Harvard Historical Society scholarship.
“I joined the Honors College at UM specifically to write this undergraduate thesis and became an African American Studies major in order to gain the tools to adequately tell Neptune’s life and conduct this research.”
Working on a graduate degree in history at the University of Chicago, Lewis is tracking the lives of a series of historical actors she found while writing her undergraduate thesis.
“I’m hoping to shed light on the relationships between the American Revolution, slavery, freedom, and democracy in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War period.”
“We nominated Brigitte’s thesis over those of her peers in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College because her project displays her passion for history, deep intellectual curiosity, and independent research skills,” said Ethel Scurlock, interim dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Senior Fellow of the Luckyday Residential College, and associate professor of English and African American Studies.