In 2017, Professor Eccleston and Professor Padilla Peralta founded Racing the Classics as an international conference series dedicated to challenging received assumptions about knowledge production and race in the field of Classics. The Fellowship Program is based on a cohort model and will combine a summer seminar with a year-long practicum and mentorship support plan. Graduate students and early-career researchers will be able to apply for the first cohort in Spring 2025.

By creating a community of scholars committed to thinking critically about race in all facets of their academic careers, Racing the Classics hopes to transform how students and practitioners experience the field.