FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin, TX – The Texas Library and Archives Foundation (TxLAF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Texas State Library and Archives Commission Research Fellowship in Texas History, Bonnie Ernst and Andrew Graybill.

Bonnie Ernst, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana University Bloomington and will conduct research at TSLAC in support of her project, “Black Women and Convict Leasing in the Jim Crow South.” Her research on Black women in Texas prisons at the turn of the twentieth century will shed light on the approach that Texas took and how that fits into the broader history of the American South.

Andrew Graybill, PhD, is a professor in the Clements Department of History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Graybill’s project, “Longhorn Country: The Texas Cattle that Built America” will also necessitate archival research at TSLAC. Graybill’s research will lead to a greater understanding of the role of Texas state government policies and cattle industry actions in making the Longhorn cattle breed a cultural symbol of Texas.

Texas State Archives collections document the lives and work of Texans and their interaction with government. The records that the research fellows plan to explore will provide them with large troves of information to sift through and analyze. The resulting works will improve our understanding of these aspects of Texas history. Fellows will be awarded $2,000 to support travel to the State Archives in Austin.

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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information needed to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov.