North Carolina Humanities is offering a limited-time series of programs that will take place across the state between 2023 – 2025. Programs are designed to explore historic and current stories of resilience.
About the Partnerships
With special attention to opportunities for educators, these partnership programs will uplift the needs and stories of marginalized communities, explore our role in democracy, and build bridges of understanding between those of different backgrounds and perspectives. Programs are made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture” initiative and by partnerships with local and national institutions.
Finding Common Ground: Using the Humanities to Foster Safer & More Connected Communities
NC Humanities is partnering with Carolina Public Humanities to host two 3-part interactive series about the experiences and cultural contributions of historically marginalized groups in North Carolina. Led by local Jewish, Muslim, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant community members in the Greenville and Durham areas and moderated by North Carolina history experts, each session will allow for sincere relationship-building amongst participants. Participants will hone their abilities to productively empathize with people of different identities, to unpack their own multi-layered identities, to decode popular representations of historically marginalized groups, and to create action plans to foster greater connection across differences.
Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellows
NC Humanities is partnering with the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice to support middle and high school educators from Durham, Wake, and Orange counties in a six-month fellowship program. Pauli Murray Social Justice Teaching Fellows will learn to empower students to examine the legacies, contemporary impacts, and future possibilities of movements for human and civil rights. This work will ultimately be rooted in the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray who was raised in Durham. Dr. Murray crafted a broad vision of civil rights, gender equity, and human rights as a Black Southerner, and a gender non-conforming member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Fellowships will offer educators a professional opportunity to increase their knowledge and pedagogical skills, as well as connect with civic leaders and form a collaborative network of supportive colleagues around the state.
Insurrection 1898
NC Humanities is partnering with PBS North Carolina to create and distribute educational and professional development resources for 8th – 12th grade students and teachers in support of the documentary film, "Insurrection 1898". The documentary has a national release date of fall 2024. "Insurrection 1898" tells the story of a coup d’état in Wilmington, in which Black political and economic power was destroyed through a coordinated campaign of violence that led to the death of as many as 150 Black residents. The events in Wilmington offer a powerful lens through which to examine broader concepts of race, politics, and democracy in America. A hybrid workshop for 300 educators on utilizing educational materials will also take place in 2024.
Voice and Votes: Democracy in America
NC Humanities is partnering with the Smithsonian Institution to bring the exhibition "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America" to North Carolina. Our democracy demands action, reaction, vision, and revision as we continue to question how to form “a more perfect union” for all. The quest for fair representation and a voice at the polls has brought struggle and changes to our country. As such, six communities in North Carolina will host "Voice and Votes" during this traveling, statewide tour, April 2024 – January 2025.
