North Carolina Humanities is launching a new series of programs that will take place across the state between 2023 – 2025 designed to explore historic and current stories of resilience.
With special attention to opportunities for educators, these 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.
“Resilience is part of the American story,” said Executive Director of North Carolina Humanities Sherry Paula Watkins. “North Carolina Humanities strongly believes that understanding, empathy, and respect for each other’s stories and experiences is essential to a thriving, democratic society,” Watkins concluded.
North Carolina Humanities is partnering with four renowned institutions to provide the following opportunities for North Carolinians around the state. Registration information and date details will be announced throughout 2023-2024. Updates will be shared at nchumanities.org.
Visit the Smithsonian exhibit 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. Exhibit sites will be announced in October 2023. NC Humanities has worked with the Smithsonian for over a decade to bring traveling exhibitions to North Carolina’s small towns and rural communities. In 2024, Voices and Votes is nationally touring in Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Watch PBS North Carolina’s 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 to 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.
Attend Carolina Public Humanities’ 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.
Become a Pauli Murray Fellow
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.
Programs are made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and by partnerships with local and national institutions. In September 2023, North Carolina Humanities received a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities through its $2.8 million “United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture” initiative. North Carolina Humanities is one of 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils across the nation affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About North Carolina Humanities: Through grantmaking and public humanities programs, North Carolina Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community. North Carolina Humanities is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more visit www.nchumanities.org.
Press Contact: Melanie Moore Richeson. (704) 687-1520. mmoore@nchumanities.org
