Humanities for Sale

Bid on These Unforgettable Humanities Experiences Today

On October 1st, the Humanities Council will launch their first-ever online Humanities Auction! The Humanities Auction will feature exclusive, one-of-a-kind, humanities-based experiences. The funds raised through this auction will go to support the Humanities Council and our mission to enrich the quality of life in Washington, DC. Our organization serves over 430,000 DC residents through our public programs, educational initiatives, grant programs, and the online DC Digital Museum. Your support for our auction will help us serve even more residents, increase our programs and grants, and engage our city’s youth in discovering DC’s rich history and culture.

Visit the auction website at http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/9874/auctions/10815 to browse our exciting line up of humanities-based services and experiences!

The 2012 Distinguished Service to the Humanities Awards

There's still time to register for this exciting event!

Help Us Celebrate Historic Georgia Avenue!

Event to Honor the History of Washington's Longest Commercial Corridor!

Joe Howell Memoir Inspires Faith that Nation's Rifts Will One Day Be Mended

Author to Speak at Upcoming Humanities Council Event

Joy Ford Austin, the Executive Director of the Humanities Council had this to say about Howell's book:

This excellent book is an important contribution to the canon of civil rights literature.  The diary that is at the heart of Joseph Howell’s "Civil Rights Journey: The Story of a White Southerner Coming of Age during the Civil Rights Revolution" is a rare chance to hear the authentic, complex voice of a young man working to change the system that prejudice had ensconced and that protest had begun to uproot. It is a powerful reminder that many young whites did take a stand for civil rights. Joseph Howell’s remarkable account, beautifully written and accessible, shows that he was on the right side of history. However, he is always honest, intentionally questioning his personal motivations, whether these are the lessons of suffering from polio or the benefits of privilege. He never settles for easy answers from himself or those he meets on this journey. Inspiring and intelligent, it ultimately encourages all of us to inquire of ourselves and to take a stand on contemporary issues of injustice and cruelty. 

 

I also appreciated the role of Embry, Joe’s strong and perceptive wife. They must look back on this summer and its shared memories as truly transformational and a crucible of their life together. 

Howell will discuss the book at the Home of Bob and Lucy Bremner on Thursday, November 10. After the conversation, Howell will sign copies of the memoir which will be available for sale. Tickets for the event are $50 and can be purchased by visiting http://civilrightsjourney.eventbrite.com, emailing elucero@wdchumanities.org, or calling 202-387-8391. 

Ticket sales support the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing transformative humanities programs, events, and activities to the Washington, DC community.

Making DC Sizzle

Don't Miss the Humanities Council's Annual Distinguished Service to the Humanities Awards

The burner has been turned on, and DC is starting to sizzle! And it's in no small part thanks to this year's Distinguished Service to the Humanities Award winners. DC has always been a hot town, but in recent years, it has gained recognition for its burning and burgeoning art and theatre scene, jazz revival, documentary film production, and academic community. DC nationwide cred is not just political or bureaucratic, these individuals have rocketed it into the cultural stratosphere!

The Humanities Council will bring them all together for one exciting night, for fiery conversation and banter with one another, and with the audience!

Where did Tony Gittens get the idea for an international film festival in Washington, DC, and what did it take for him to make that dream a reality?

DC has always been a hotbed of jazz and art, but find out how Charles Fishman has sent it's popularity soaring with performances all over the city during the DC Jazz Festival, and a host of educational programs for kids!

Philippa P.B. Hughes imagined the Pinkline Project as an invisible connector between Washington's diverse social groups and the city's emerging art scene. Come find out how she unearthed DC's art underground!

Professor Berlin is one of the country's preeminent historians of the African-American experience. Find out how his DC connections have influenced his research!

Sharon Percy Rockefeller has led Washington's flagship public television and radio stations for over 20 years. During that time WETA has produced massively successful documentary films such as Ken Burns' Civil War, as well as works that focus on the history and culture of Washington. Find out how she has contributed to DC's reputation as a documentary film mecca!

Howard Shalwitz has taken The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company beyond the cutting edge! Not content with simply producing extremely entertaining theater, Shalwitz' shows introduce Washingtonians to critical cultural and social issues. This tendency is exemplified in his latest work Clybourne Park!

The evening's conversation will be moderated by the incomparable Kojo Nnamdi, who has gone a long way toward making DC sizzle as host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU 88.5. 

This intimate evening will offer guests the chance to mingle with the honorees over exquisite Washingtonian fare while listening to live jazz. Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online at http://hcwdc2011celebration.eventbrite.com/ , by emailing elucero[at]wdchumanities[dot]org, or calling 202-387-8391.

U Street Businesses Old and New Honored

Video of the Discussion is Available on HCTV

Last week, on May 18th, the Humanities Council organized its first Washington, DC Great Streets event. The program honors historic businesses along Washington's storied commercial corridors and newcomers adding their own unique contributions. The inaugural event was called Celebrating U Street, and Nizam Ali of Ben's Chili Bowl, Richard Lee of Lee's Flower and Card Shop, and Suman Sorg of Sorg Architects comprised the panel of honorees. The group discussed the changes that have taken place along the U Street corridor in recent years, and reflected on old memories. The discussion was moderated by author Blair E. Ruble, whose recent book, Washington's U Street: a Biography, explores the impact of change and population movement with an approachable, biographical style.

Dr. Ruble confessed that his impetus for writing the book came from grating discussions with people from outside the Washington area who persistently referred to the capital as “not a real city.” Ruble's historical research and interviews with longtime residents clearly disprove this myth, and his work is replicable for most of Washington's neighborhoods, many of which rival the greater U Street area in the depth and richness of their collective memory and culture. 

Both Lee and Ali recalled a U Street that was very much a village in a small southern town. The families who owned businesses in the area were often interconnected, and they interacted with the public on a very personal level. The Industrial Bank, like Ben's and Lee's has been a fixture in the community for many years. Nizam's mother, a teller at the bank, met her husband in the area before they founded their now-iconic restaurant, and Richard Lee fondly recalled Ms. Ali allowing him to come to the front of the line as a small boy making deposits for his parents' shop. While the area has seen much change, both good and bad, Lee believes that the new residents' interest in attending community events has kept some of the close-knit character of the neighborhood intact. Sorg believes that the area would benefit from urban improvements that would encourage more foot traffic and more individual interactions between neighbors. Her firm is also responsible for many of the architectural preservation projects in the area.

The discussion and presentation of awards can be viewed on HCTV, the Humanities Council's Youtube Channel. The well-preserved culture of DC's neighborhoods, coupled with its residents long-term collective memory seem to suggest that the Humanities Council will have no trouble continuing the Washington, DC Great Streets program along other major commercial corridors across the city. Does your neighborhood have an eclectic mix of businesses, both new and old, along its great streets? Mt. Pleasant, MLK, Georgia Ave, M Street, 12th Street NE, Minnesota Ave. Let us know where we should hold the next discussion!

Cool Reads and Funky Beads

African Inspired Jewelry At Tonight's Live to Read Event

If you are looking for a different type of happy hour at which to unwind after work tonight, come to Shaw's Ghana Cafe. The Humanities Council will host "Cool Reads and Funky Beads" at the eatery with all proceeds going to support Live to Read, Washington, DC's city-wide celebration of literature. A $20 ticket (available here) buys a drink ticket and a copy of this year's Live to Read selection, Ruined by Lynn Nottage. All proceeds from the $20 tickets will support the Humanities Council and programs like Live to Read, and Ghana Cafe will also contribute a portion of the revenue from select menu items. 

Renowned jewelry artist, Elaine Robnett Moore will also be on hand to discuss and sell her artwork. Moore will also contribute a portion of her proceeds to the Humanities Council. Her interest in beadwork began when she served as an international consultant in West Africa, and her jewelry reflects a confluence of the spiritual significance of the beads, her travel experiences, and her deely felt African American heritage. For more information on Moore and her work visit her website at http://www.elainerobnettmoore.com/.

After reading your copy of the book, remember to check out the rest of this year's Live to Read events including a book and film discussions at the Southwest Library, a lecture at the German Historical Society on Ghanaian civil rights activism, and the ongoing performance of Ruined at Arena Stage.