On August 26th, HNY launched Amended, its first podcast. Amended travels from the 1800’s through to the present day to show us a quest for women’s full equality that has always been as diverse, complex and unfinished as the nation itself. For our ongoing Online Community Conversations series we will be using brief excerpts from Amended to open a conversation about the past, present, and future of the struggle for gender equality. To complement this online conversations, we have curated a brief selection of readings that examine the complex legacy of the suffrage movement. You do not have to read […]
People Not Property: Exploring the Legacy of Slavery in New York’s Hudson Valley
Historic Hudson Valley (HHV) is redefining what a documentary is with Webby-Award-Winning website People Not Property: Stories of Slavery in the Colonial North. Focusing on the history of enslavement in the Hudson Valley, the exhibition uncovers erased narratives of families and the records that reveal the depth of northern states’ involvement in the slave trade — even after abolition. HNY spoke with Elizabeth L. Bradley, Vice President of Programs and Engagement and Michael A. Lord, Director of Content Development. Above: C&G Partners, Hand-Drawn Silhouette of Father and Child. Courtesy Historic Hudson Valley. How does the documentary add to the narrative about […]
Humanities Programs Prevail through COVID-19. Humanities New York Awards 41 Grants Across NYS for Online and Socially-Distanced Public Programs on Women’s Suffrage, African-American History, Pandemics, and More
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Humanities New York (HNY) today announced $194,534 in awards to 41 grantees for innovative public humanities offerings. Awards were made to non-profits in every region of the state, from the North Country to Long Island. “History, philosophy, and literature give us the tools to understand the unfolding historic moment,” said Executive Director Sara Ogger. “The awarded programs nimbly engage participants in compelling topics, and ultimately, with each other. It is inspiring to see how cultural service providers find new ways to reach their communities–HNY is honored to support them in their endeavours.” These grants are […]
Reading List: Memory, History, and Community
HNY is continuing its Online Community Conversations series with a discussion on “Memory, History, and Community.” Who, in a democracy, gets to decide how we remember the past? What happens when one group’s memories lie in tension with those of another? What role does memorialization play in our society? To complement this online conversation, we have curated a brief selection of readings that examine the complex interconnections between memory, history, and memorialization. That said, our online conversation, like all of HNY’s Community Conversations, will use a single brief text to spark the conversation. This text will be provided after registration. […]
Reckoning with the History of Enslavement on Long Island: the Jupiter Hammon Project
Preservation Long Island (PLI) is embracing its role as keeper of a historic house museum of Black enslavement by engaging in public discourse around present-day issues. Centering the life history of Jupiter Hammon, the first published African American author, PLI will recruit experts to plan public-facing programs that explore the consequences of enslavement on Long Island. PLI received a Vision Grant in preparation for the “Round Table” series, which will provide opportunities to discuss and frame a multi-year reinterpretation initiative and to learn about the historical figure who inspires it all. HNY spoke to Lauren Brincat, Curator, and Darren St. […]
Humanities New York Awards $1 million in CARES Act Funding
NEW YORK CITY, NY — Humanities New York (HNY) today announced nearly $1 million in CARES Act funding to 197 New York cultural nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. HNY CARES Emergency Grants focus on organizations with a core humanities mission, and range from $2500 to $15,000, reaching every region in New York. These grants may be used flexibly, whether for personnel, costs associated with the pandemic, or to maintain or adapt the humanities programs that are proving very useful to keep people connected during the pandemic. Sarah Gelman Carney, Chair, said from Buffalo that she was “amazed at the […]
Community & Protest: Reading List
Since the beginning of 2020, we have seen a social turmoil that has not been broadly expressed in at least a generation, marked by protests sparked by the all-too-common spectacle of a black man’s unjust death. George Floyd’s killing is a recent — but by no means even the latest — iteration of America’s gruesome heritage of racist violence. This heritage scaffolds the length of our history, its shadow dimming us and our institutions. As Ibram X. Kendi teaches us, indeed as he said at last year’s Buffalo Humanities Festival (video below), we at institutions all have influence on the […]
Democracy & Trust Today
HNY is continuing its Online Community Conversations series with a discussion on “Democracy and Trust Today.” Issues of democratic trust – and distrust – are not unique to today, of course, but the pervasive social isolation; differing dispositions toward public health and the economic reboot; and varying infection and mortality rates are adding another set of complications to our already distrustful and polarized society. To complement these online conversations, we have curated a brief selection of texts that examine the interdependencies and tensions between trust and democracy (readings are not required to participate). Not all of these directly confront “trust […]
Reading List: Pandemic & Inequality
On Wednesday, May 13th, HNY held its Conversations on Your Couch series with a discussion about “Pandemic and Inequality.” How do inequality and pandemics feed off of each other? Will the lessons we are learning about justice, fairness, and opportunity outlive the virus? To complement the conversation, we curated a brief selection of stories that examine the complex interconnections between the pandemic and inequality. For those interested in holding there own conversation this could serve as a starting point. Each selection is available to read / listen online, and each is free of charge. Some readings to get you started… […]
Community & Pandemic Perspectives
Are you reading obsessively about all aspects of the pandemic? We hear you! HNY has curated a brief selection of books, articles, and podcasts that examine the complex relationships and questions that have emerged during social crises. This complements our Conversation on Your Couch discussion on Community & Pandemic. Your library card may get you free access to digital versions of these books via platforms such as Libby and Hoopla. Don’t have a library card? New York Public Library has expanded its online offerings — any New York State resident may apply for a card via the SimplyE app. Books […]
