Dear Friends, I hope this note finds you and yours well. This seventh weekly roundup of #HumanitiesInTheAgeOfSocialDistancing offers ways to connect our civic and cultural lives during this unprecedented public health crisis. This issue highlights the power of our voices in times of struggle and change. Listen to radio programs, read stories from students, and engage in conversations that feature the voices of Rhode Islanders and those further afield as they share experiences during the pandemic and consider what it means to be truly engaged citizens. We will continue to share resources on social media—Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @rihumanities and here, each Friday, where we’ll highlight our top picks from the week.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: The first deadline for the Humanities Council’s new Operating Support and Project Grants in response to the pandemic is today at 5:00pm . There is another opportunity to apply for the May 15th deadline.   More information can be found here about eligibility and the application process . This supplemental funding is from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the federal CARES Act. Nationally, the NEH has also established a grant program for cultural organizations to support at-risk humanities positions and projects that have been impacted by the coronavirus. More information can be found here about the NEH CARES: Cultural Organizations grants. Deadline is May 11th.

If you have questions about these funding opportunities, please reach out to Logan Hinderliter , Associate Director of Grants & Partnerships, at logan@rihumanities.org .

We’re all in this together, Elizabeth Francis Executive Director and the Humanities Council Team

In case you missed it – here are just a few of the ways Rhode Islanders are using the humanities to connect virtually.

Coronavirus Coverage: Community Responses From stories of first responders and frontline workers, to elderly parents separated from their children, to the daily challenges of homeschooling and working, to the lighthearted expressions of reconnecting with the simple pleasures of baking bread. Find all of this and more in this growing archive from The Public’s Radio of accounts by people across Rhode Island about how the pandemic is affecting everyday life. And if you're inspired, add your voice by clicking the ‘Share Your Story’ button on The Public Radio’s website.

Readings – a sampling of pieces to keep you inspired and connected:

Global problems need social sciences. In this piece, published back in January in Nature , author Hetan Shah makes the case for why the humanities are necessary to meet the challenges of the coming decade. Shah is the chief executive of the British Academy in London. “In a democracy, expert advice must be balanced with considerations such as public opinion, financial costs and political demands. Still, without the humanities and social sciences, hard science and technology can do little to resolve complex societal challenges. Wise governments will find ways to incorporate that insight.” Read the full article here.

Radio Influenza : An artwork by Jordan Baseman  Based on research in the British Newspaper Archive, Radio Influenza  tells the many stories of the 1917-18 flu pandemic. As Baseman writes, “ Radio Influenza is the story of the beginning of the twentieth century, as told through the experiences of the unwell: hearing news of the flu from afar, fearing the flu, infected by the flu, traumatized by the flu… A spectrum of differing ideas, scientific failures and developments, government inadequacies, contradictory reports, rumours, criticisms, opinions, hopes and speculations all rendered equal, being simultaneously reported.”

When Elizabeth Francis caught this Morning Edition interview with the artist about this project it sparked the question, how will the internet universe documenting the coronavirus pandemic now be put into the archives of the twenty-first century?

Upcoming Virtual Opportunities & Educational Materials

Facing History Now: A Community Conversation Series The world-wide educational nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves hosts a new Community Conversation series that brings us together for thought-provoking online conversations about what it means to face history now as it’s in the making. You can watch past conversations with actor and activist George Takei and with award-winning writer for The New Yorker Dr. Jelani Cobb via this link . And you can also register for the upcoming conversation on May 7th with Samantha Power , Pulitzer Prize-winning author and 28th Ambassador to the United Nations, as she talks about idealism during adversity.

Our Lives Now: Flash Non-Fiction 2020 Write Rhode Island has launched Our Lives Now , a flash nonfiction writing project for Rhode Island students in grades 7-12. Students are invited to submit a reflection on their current experience during the Covid-19 outbreak. Submissions need to be 400 words or less. Entries are being published on the Write Rhode Island website and Facebook page, and included in the RICovidArchive.org , a digital archive co-managed by the Providence Public Library and Rhode Island Historical Society. Contact Diana at School One for details.

Resources for the Humanities Sector During the Pandemic : 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! Deadline extended to May 8th: Nominate your Humanities Heroes for the annual Celebration of the Humanities Awards.

Support the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities

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