NEW FOR 2020: Racial Equity Working Group

We are pleased to announce the formation of the Federation’s Racial Equity Working Group. Federation Board Member Gloria White Gardner (Maryland) and Maine Humanities Council Executive Director Hayden Anderson will serve as co-chairs. The group’s goals are to examine the Federation’s practices, policies, and programming, with the intention of coordinating institutional resources to help enact and support a race equity culture among our organization’s staff, board, and member councils nationwide.

“A race equity culture is one focused on proactive counteraction of social and racial inequities inside and outside the organization.” – Equity in the Center, nonprofit based in Washington, DC.

Next steps for the working group include a virtual meeting, participation (with the Federation’s board and staff) in a Racial Equity Institute workshop, and plans to engage a consultant to lead the Federation through the process of setting a plan for work moving forward. The Federation is also exploring options to work with the Institute to provide their workshops at a reduced rate for the broader state humanities council community.

Meet the 2020 Racial Equity Working Group Members:

  • Margarita Benitez, executive director, Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades
  • Matthew Gibson, executive director, Virginia Humanities/Federation Board
  • Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, executive director, Vermont Humanities
  • Kevin Lindsey, CEO, Minnesota Humanities Center
  • Susan McCarthy, Oklahoma Humanities Council/Federation Board
  • David Pettyjohn, executive director, Idaho Humanities Council/Federation Board
  • Anthony Poore, executive director, New Hampshire Humanities
  • endawnis Spears, Rhode Island/Federation Board
  • Brenda Thomson, executive director, Arizona Humanities/Federation Board
  • Paxton Williams, Humanities Iowa/Federation Board
  • Aiko Yamashiro, executive director, Hawai’i Council for the Humanities
  • Federation Staff: Jeff Allen, Jasmine Brockett, Joy Hickey, Shannon Loburk, Natalie Pak, Phoebe Stein

The first working group virtual meeting will be scheduled after Labor Day.

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