Press Release
Oklahoma Humanities Receives $100,000 Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for Convening Hosted in Collaboration with the National Endowment for the Humanities
OKLAHOMA CITY (June 20, 2024) — Oklahoma Humanities (OH) is excited to announce the award of a $100,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to fund a special convening of state and jurisdictional humanities councils to share and celebrate work done under the United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture initiative. “We are proud to support Oklahoma Humanities in co-hosting the United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture convening,” said Sean Buffington, Vice President of the Henry Luce Foundation. “The humanities are part of the fabric that binds us together as communities, as a nation. The work of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the state and jurisdictional councils strengthens that fabric in places it has begun to fray. We look forward to celebrating and learning from this work in Oklahoma City this fall.”
In 2023, NEH issued $2.8 million to create a nationwide United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture program in all 56 U.S. states and jurisdictions that builds united fronts against hate at the community and national levels. NEH partnered with each of its state and jurisdictional affiliates to develop localized and place-based humanities programming that fostered cross-cultural understanding, empathy, and community resilience; educated the public on the history of domestic extremism and hate-based violence; promoted civic engagement, information literacy, and social cohesion; and deepened public understanding of community, state, and national history.
On September 16-17, NEH and OH will convene representatives from the state and jurisdictional humanities councils to discuss this important work. Representatives from the state and jurisdictional humanities councils will meet in Oklahoma City and participate in local site visits, facilitated conversations, and working sessions to help strengthen communities and maximize the impact, scale, and visibility of the humanities to address hate-motivated violence. Through a place-based approach, this convening aims to: foster connectivity and relationship-building among those working to advance the shared goals of United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture within their state or jurisdiction; create a forum to exchange knowledge, tools, and lessons learned and identify new opportunities for collaboration; and amplify the collective impact of the nation’s humanities councils toward the goals of United We Stand: ConnectingThrough Culture.
“As Americans we share a responsibility for understanding and embracing our diverse cultural histories, traditions, and experiences, and for opposing hate-based violence and extremism,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “The humanities strengthen mutual understanding by providing the context, history, and models of discourse that remind us of our common purpose and shared humanity."
OH received $50,000 last year to support this important work on the local level through an expansion of OH-conducted programs and partner-led public events that explored diverse themes and demonstrated the power of the arts and humanities to foster connections and understanding.
"United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture is a critical initiative," said OH Executive Director Caroline Lowery. "We are honored to be a first-time recipient of a Henry Luce Foundation Grant to support this convening and are excited to welcome our state council colleagues to Oklahoma. It’s an opportunity to listen and to learn from one another and we hope attendees leave inspired and energized about the power and impact of the humanities.”
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About the National Endowment for the Humanities: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.
About the Henry Luce Foundation: The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.