Martha R. Bireda

Councils Celebrate Black History Month

In February, the humanities council community commemorates the critical contributions, lived experiences, and cultural heritage of Black Americans who have shaped the country’s history…

Making Connections: Washington State Folklorist on Race and Bridging the Academic and Public Sectors 

“I was trying to bring these two worlds together and kind of create a pathway for everyone to engage with this work,” Wilkins said.

Native Peoples 101: Approaches to Working With And For Tribal Nations

From “Native American” and “American Indian” to “Alaska Native” and “Native Hawaiian,” no generalized term is exactly right, explained panelists, given that these terms originate in English.

Celebrate Native American Heritage with Humanities Councils

November marks a time of gratitude but also commemoration with National Native American Heritage Month, and Indigenous cultures are often the focus of humanities councils’ work.

Two Schwartz Prizes Awarded to Nevada Humanities and Minnesota Humanities Center at #VirtualNHC21

In a year that demanded so much from our humanity, these programs brought opportunities for community members to express themselves, gather together, and provide much-needed context for what we were experiencing as a nation.

Melissa Melero-Moose

Making Meaning Episode 6: Indigenous Communities And The Strength of Storytelling

Writer and visual artist Melissa Melero-Moose talks about fostering creativity during the pandemic on the Reno-Sparks Indian colony in Hungry Valley, NV. Eric Hemenway, director of the Department of Repatriation, Archives and Records for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, explains how storytelling can uncover misrepresentations about Native communities.

L. Danyetta Najoli

Making Meaning Episode 5: Living Histories of Race and Racism

L. Danyetta Najoli, co-founder of The Black American Tree Project, explains how the immersive story-telling project’s design evokes a sense of reckoning with slavery’s origins. Dr. Jack Tchen, the Inaugural Clement A. Price Chair in Public History and the Humanities and Director of the Price Institute at Rutgers University, takes a deep dive into histories of dispossession.

Making Meaning Episode 4: By the Book: Connecting Rural Communities

Jenny De Groot, a children’s librarian on Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest, reads some of her favorite books while sharing how her remote community found ways to connect during the pandemic. Dr. Chuck Fluharty, founder, President, and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI), explores the future of rural and urban communities through a public humanities lens.

Making Meaning Episode 3: Environmental Justice, Climate Disasters, And The Humanities

Adrienne Kennedy, a climate activist and organizer from south Lumberton, North Carolina, talks about what environmental justice looks like for her after Hurricane Matthew destroyed her home. Dr. Joseph Campana, director of the Center for Environmental Studies at Rice University, explores ways the humanities can help us process relentless patterns of climate catastrophe.