Rachelle Gold ’02 writes, “I won a 5-year $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to create an oral history archive of Black women justice-seekers who are alumnae of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where I have taught English, Composition, African American Literature, World Literature, and Grammar since 2008. So far, I have trained 80 students to conduct oral history interviews of 40 distinguished graduates of NCCU such as principals, lawyers, teachers, judges, non-profit founders, scientists, and public health researchers.
I was selected among a competitive pool of applicants for the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors’ 2026 Award for Excellence in Teaching. It was awarded on May 8, 2026 at our Spring Commencement ceremony by our Chancellor Karrie Dixon and one UNC Board of Trustee Kirk Bradley.
I was nominated as a “Remarkable Woman” by several students in a contest sponsored by our local CBS affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina and featured on television in March 2026 in an interview that also featured interviews with NCCU students. I was nominated for my digital storytelling project and oral history archive, which is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black women NCCU alumnae.”