- Royce Fellowship
Concentration
Award Year
Clara Pritchett concentrates in Africana Studies with a focus on performance. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Clara has continually participated in community engagement, including as a Brown University Bonner Fellow working with Direct Action for Rights and Equality. Clara’s project is titled: An Examination and Analysis of Stereotypes of Black Girls Through Broadway Musicals from 2005-2015. The project attempts to understand and examine stereotypes that black girls face and internalize through performance. Through Broadway musicals within this ten-year span, Clara will examine the shows’ political and social context, both the place and the time period in which it was set and when it was on Broadway, critically analyze black females and their relationships to others, and understand the overt and subtle messages these stories present to young black girls that can inflict harm. Clara intends for this knowledge to be used to empower black girls through performance and storytelling. Outside of her academic career, Clara performs in musicals, sings with and co-music directs Beauty and the Beats: A Disney Acapella on campus and in the Providence community, is co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Zeta Theta chapter of Alpha Chi Omega, and volunteers at the Providence Animal Rescue League.