The following is an excerpt from Deva Woodly’s upcoming book, Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Necessity of Social Movements, on the role of social movements, up to and including The Movement for Black Lives. Deva is an Assistant Professor of Politics at The New School for Social Research. Her work explores the ways that public meanings define the problems that the polity understands itself to share, as well as the range of choices that citizens perceive themselves as having. If you’d like to explore the broader historical context of today’s social movements, join us on November 28th when Woodly […]
Sandy Ground & St. John’s Build Community Through Humanities Projects
Last year, St. John’s University celebrated New York’s African-American history and the diversity of Staten Island with “Sandy Ground at St. John’s: Faces of the Underground Railroad,” a public humanities and educational outreach program which brings the community into the history of the first free black community in New York State. Funded by a HNY Action grant, the installation, series of four public lectures, and K-12 school visits engaged audiences in the past, present, and future of the borough’s black communities. Read more about the program here. HNY: How did you put the Sandy Ground project together? Robert: I am […]
Further Readings from Turning the Tide: Communicating Climate Science
From Adam Rome: Climate scientist Mike Hulme’s Why We Disagree About Climate Change (2009). Historian Joshua Howe’s Behind the Curve: Science and the Politics of Global Warming (2014). Psychologist Mary Pipher’s The Green Boat: Reviving Ourselves in Our Capsized Culture (2013). Howe also has edited a wonderful collection of documents, Making Climate Change: Documents from Global Warming’s Past (2017). The documentary I mentioned about the implications of climate change for national security and international order is “The Age of Consequences” (2017). For a sense of the likely impacts of climate change more generally, I still like a 2008 book by […]
The Genius of Earth Day
Humanities New York provided initial funds for the Buffalo Humanities Festival in 2014 and has been a proud sponsor for each year since. The Festival is produced by the Humanities Institute at the University at Buffalo in cooperation with Buffalo State College, Canisius College, Niagara University, and SUNY Fredonia as well as cultural institutions including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield Penney Arts Center. Each year, the festival draws on Buffalo’s many rich academic traditions and resources to engage the most pressing questions of our time. This year’s Festival theme is “Environments;” HNY’s panel event “Turning the Tide: Communicating […]
Interview: Women’s Suffrage History in Rochester
Formed in 2016, The Rochester Area Suffrage Centennial Alliance (RASCA) is a network of institutions that are coordinating celebrations for the anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in New York State. The Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library received a Humanities New York (HNY) Vision Grant to support the RASCA planning process. They also received an Action Grant for the “Because of Women Like Her” exhibit, which is on display at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County through October 14, 2017. HNY: RASCA involves a large network of institutions in the Rochester area. What […]
Susan B. Anthony to Wonder Woman–“Women’s Suffrage and the Media” Research Database Chronicles Right-to-Vote Movement
The original version of this post appeared here on June 19, 2017, by NYU. Women’s Suffrage and the Media,” an online database and resource site launched this month, includes primary and secondary sources that chronicle and examine the suffrage movement as portrayed in news, propaganda, advertising, entertainment, and other aspects of public life. The database, hosted by New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and conceived by NYU journalism professor Brooke Kroeger and a group of American Journalism Historians Association members, aims to serve a diverse group of users—from middle schoolers and life-long learners to academic researchers and journalists. […]
Interview: Bierman and Thompson, Leaders of The League of Women Voters of New York State
Interview conducted by Nicholas MacDonald, Humanities New York HNY: How did you each get started with the League of Women Voters? Laura: I joined the League in 1982, when I moved from Washington D.C. to Albany. I was worried about not being as involved in politics, that turned out to not be a concern! Dare: I was pretty apolitical for the first 25 years of my life, but then I accidentally got a job teaching middle school social studies. Having to teach the Constitution really opened my eyes to civic responsibility; after that, I became involved with the League of […]
Call to Action: Humanities New York Facing Cuts
Dear Friend, Thank you for participating in the work of Humanities New York! Like you, I am dismayed by reports that the initial budget being proposed in D.C. calls for the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, among others. The NEH is the largest source of HNY’s revenue and provides the funds for our popular grants program. Our second largest funding source is New York State, also crucially important to defend. So we ask you to add your voice to the chorus of support for the NEH nationwide, and as a New Yorker, to […]
Dec 16: Application Deadline for R&D Programs
Applications are due Friday, December 16 for a Spring 2017 program! Open to any tax-exempt organization in New York State, Humanities New York’s Reading & Discussion Programs for Adults bring together community members for a series of thematically-linked, text-based conversations about important ideas. Click here to see all available themes. How to Apply You choose a theme, decide how many sessions to hold, and find a local scholar to facilitate the discussions. After you’re awarded the program, you then select readings from our themed book lists that work best for your community. Sample syllabi can be found on HNY’s website. Applications […]
We are now Humanities New York
Dear Friend, On the occasion of our 40th anniversary, the New York Council for the Humanities is updating our brand, look, and name: we are now “Humanities New York.” A new website contains links to our programs, grants, and events–which have been changing all along to keep up with our changing communities. Now these resources are even more user-friendly. The site also features some of the luminaries whose work we have supported through 40 years of leadership in the public humanities. Creating a graphic identity for the organization presented a challenge, as the humanities are not easily boiled down to […]
