The Leddy Library is proud to welcome Vida Cross, poet and creative writer, as the University of Windsor’s first Fulbright Visiting Scholar. Vida Cross will be in residence from September 1 to December 31, 2025, hosted by the Leddy Library and supported in partnership with the Black Scholars Institute.
Her research-based creative project, The Charles Family, explores the lives and legacies of Black communities who fled enslavement in the southern United States and settled in Windsor, Ontario. This work resonates deeply with the rich archival holdings of the Leddy Library, including the E. Andrea Moore collection, and contributes meaningfully to the preservation and advancement of Black history in Canada.
Vida Cross will work closely with the Archives and Special Collections team, engage with faculty across campus—including the Departments of History and English & Creative Writing—and collaborate with the Black Scholars Institute. Her work will also extend into the community through partnerships with organizations such as the Amherstburg Freedom Museum and the Essex County Black Historical Research Society.
“We are thrilled to host Vida in the Archives,” says Dr. Sarah Glassford, Archivist at Leddy Library. “Her project brings together historical research and creative expression in a way that honors the lived experiences of Black communities in our region.”
This Fulbright Visiting Scholarship is generously supported by the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, the Vice-President, People, Equity and Inclusion, the Leddy Library, and the Black Scholars Institute. “I am particularly thrilled to be a part of the hosting of Vida,” says Antoinette Seymour, a member of the institute and Archivist at Leddy Library, “given that her research interests mirror mine.”
We look forward to the possibility of showcasing Vida Cross’s work through readings, exhibitions, and public talks, and to the many ways her presence will enrich our academic and cultural community.
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