Dear Friends,

Welcome to the sixth edition of #HumanitiesInContext with news of the Council’s grants, initiatives, and events as well as curated humanities content that is a springboard for reflection, learning, and action. Read on for stories of impact, humanities in action, and humanities happenings in Rhode Island. 

We will also be sharing some of our favorite stories and resources on the Council’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rihumanities. 

Don’t miss the information about this year’s Celebration of the Humanities. It will be different to gather virtually, but the format will offer new and compelling ways to recognize this year’s remarkable honorees and the power of the humanities to keep us connected.
All my best,
Elizabeth Francis
Executive Director
and the Humanities Council Team
Your support helps ensure that all Rhode Islanders have access to and engage with the humanities, now, and in the future. Visit rihumanities.org/get-involved/donate or if you’d like to learn more contact Rachael Jeffers at [email protected].
Stories of Impact:

Save the date October 15th to join the 2020 Celebration of the Humanities. Adapted to the continuing need for social distancing, the virtual event will recognize the leadership, creativity, innovation, and scholarship of Dr. Joyce Stevos, Mary Beth Meehan, the Providence Clemente Veterans’ Initiative, and Janaya Kizzie. Sponsorship and ticket information now available. Reply by September 11th to take full advantage of available benefits. 

Award-winning actress Rose Weaver received a Humanities in the Age of Social Distancing project grant from the Council. She is using the fear, anxiety, and coping strategies of the Covid-19 pandemic as “a catalyst to examine my arts work with major organizations in Rhode Island as singer, actor, writer, activist, education, and volunteer.” Read the full story here and watch the first installment of Weaver’s video series.

More reading: To learn more about Weaver’s life and work, read her Wikipedia profile, created by RI Arts & Culture Research Fellow and Public Scholar honoree Janaya Kizzie.  
Humanities in Action: a curated list of humanities resources for reflection, learning, and action.
To Read:

Last week, August 18th marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which stated that the right to vote “shall not be denied ... on account of sex.” The anniversary also was an opportunity to reflect on the long history of ways that women have exercised power, including self-governance. In this piece from Yes! Magazine, author and artist Bridget Quinn delves into how the suffrage movement can trace its roots to Indigenous culture and systems of self-government.

“For the Seneca and all the tribes of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, power resided with the people. All the people. Norway—though admittedly awesome—may have been the first sovereign nation to “give” women the right to vote, but Haudenosaunee women always had it.”

Read the full article here. 
Image credit: “Haudenosaunee.” Illustration by Jessica Bogac-Moore. From Chronicle Books.
Bridget Quinn is the author of She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened Next and the award-winning Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order).
To Watch:

This report from the PBS NewsHour’s Canvas series on arts and culture explores the historic uses of masks and the implications of our choices about mask wearing today. Watch as curators from the Smithsonian Museum of American History and other experts discuss the collection of masks and how they will help tell the stories of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. 
To Listen:

This new podcast offers an in-depth examination of America’s public schools. As the school year begins and teachers, staff, students, and families struggle with remote, hybrid, and in-person situations, this series delves into the inequities of the public education system and the responsibility of all members of a community to prepare students for civic responsibility. Click here to listen.
#HumanitiesHappenings: Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Join the Preservation Society of Newport County and the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island for a virtual commemoration via Zoom. Registration required.
Email: [email protected]. Login information and instructions will be provided prior to the event. 
XIX: Shall Not Be Denied is a partnership initiative of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the Rhode Island Department of State. Due to the pandemic, Shall Not Be Denied will continue amplifying Rhode Island centennial events through March 2021 via the website shallnotbedenied.org and on Instagram @xixshallnotbedenied.
This list will be added to as the Humanities Council is made aware of resources available to the sector as we weather this storm together. Check back often.

General Civic Engagement: Fill Out Your Census Form!