Like many of you, the staff of the Mississippi Humanities Council has been sheltering in place amidst the COVID-19 crisis. While operating the MHC from home has been a challenge for our staff (to be honest, it's been hardest for me), we are mindful that we are fortunate to have the luxury of working from home. So many people don't have that option. Many have been laid off and now worry about paying their bills. Others have been serving on the front lines of the crisis, some in hospitals, others in grocery stores or delivery trucks. At a time when we are working to be socially distant, we realize how connected we are to everyone else in our community.

Connection is at the heart of the work of state humanities councils. We partner with many different organizations across the state and often foster collaboration between them. It is because of this connecting role that Congress has pressed state humanities councils into service to provide economic relief to cultural organizations across the country. 

Connection is at the heart of the work of state humanities councils. We partner with many different organizations across the state and often foster collaboration between them. It is because of this connecting role that Congress has pressed state humanities councils into service to provide economic relief to cultural organizations across the country. Included within the $75 million the National Endowment for the Humanities received in the CARES ACT was $30 million for state humanities councils to distribute to cultural organizations struggling financially due to the Covid-19 crisis.

 

This week, we launched our CARES Emergency Grants program, offering up to $20,000 in operational support to cultural organizations affected by the crisis. We will begin reviewing applications next week on a rolling basis and will quickly make funds available to humanities-based nonprofit organizations. This role of offering emergency support is one we are familiar with. After Hurricane Katrina, the MHC, along with our partners at the Mississippi Arts Commission, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, and the Mississippi Library Commission, helped funnel federal relief funds to the Gulf Coast's cultural institutions. We will now do this statewide, as will the other 55 state and territorial councils.

 

Aside from this emergency support, I have struggled a bit with the question of what the MHC's role should be during this crisis. How quickly should we pivot to online programming? What topics are people interested in? Do they want a thoughtful humanities perspective on the pandemic, or would they prefer content that helps take their mind off the current crisis? The MHC staff has been having these discussions during our regular, thrice-a-week meetings over Zoom. As you will see in this newsletter and in future announcements, we will soon begin offering a range of virtual programming to engage people and get them to think deeply about our current situation while also continuing to educate people about the rich history and culture of our state.

 

Even during this unprecedented crisis, the work of the MHC goes on. We are preparing for the arrival of our next Smithsonian traveling exhibit, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," in the fall. We will be accepting regular grant applications for our May 1 deadline. This helps remind us the current crisis will eventually pass. While we don't yet know what the post-pandemic world will look like, we do know the humanities will have an important role to play in helping guide us through it.