Blog

Kenneth Childs III of Hazelwood Elementary/Middle School and Lynn Rashid of Marriotts Ridge High School were named this year's Maryland History Day Middle and High School Teacher of the Year, respectively. Maryland History Day  also nominates these teachers for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award, facilitated by National History Day: results will be announced at the awards ceremony is this weekend.  Childs and Rashid discuss the Maryland History Day program.

Jennifer E. Cupp is a multipronged supporter of Maryland Humanities. The seven-time Maryland History Day volunteer has also been a donor since 2015. A Training Consultant with the Veteran Benefits Administration (part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs), Jennifer spoke to us about what makes our organization unique and the importance of the humanities.

Our Museum on Main Street tour of Voices and Votes: Democracy in America has launched: the tour kicked off Allegany Museum! For Museum on Main Street, a Smithsonian exhibition tours the state. Local host venues and their partners present companion exhibits and programs: this year, these exhibits explore our democracy, examine our civic responsibility, and reflect on how we lift voices in our communities. Frostburg State University, one of Allegany Museum’s partners, created an exhibit that features memorabilia and Western Maryland people in public service. We spoke to Yelizaveta L Zakharova, Librarian at Frostburg’s Lewis J. Ort Library, about the companion exhibit and her experience.

Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. (GHEP) is a recipient of one of Maryland Humanities’ Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Project  Grants. The organization will use the grant to host a a one-day virtual voter education and community conversation titled “U.S. Elections 101." This workshop will educate participants on key aspects of U.S. elections, including the Electoral College, rules for voter eligibility, resources for voter registrations, and the differences between the U.S. electoral system and systems in other parts of the world. The event is geared toward Black citizens and immigrant groups, though all are welcome. We spoke to Romuladus Arzuine, GHEP’s Founder and Executive Director.

Bold Beautiful Brilliant Girls Youth Empowerment Group (BBBYEG) is a recipient of one of our Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Project Grants.  As part of BBYEG’s mentorship program, youth have been learning learn about the processes used to suppress the votes of Black people, the Electoral College, and more. The mentees will then collaborate and create a webpage on the bbbyeg.org site for younger audiences to visit and explore. This page will be used to educate and empower the mentees’ peers to learn about and reflect on the current state of our democracy. We interviewed twelve-year-old Brooke, one of the BBYEG mentees, about her experience.

We delve into our top three contenders for One Maryland One Book 2020. This year's theme is "Hope."

We recently awarded a grant to Main Street Connect, a community-centered apartment complex and community center where 25% of the apartments are designated for adults with disabilities. We are funding  Conversations Matter, their free four-part series of events on racial justice that concludes on February 9. One session focused on disabled people of color. We interviewed founder Jillian Copeland about the project, and antiracist education for disabled people. 

The Maryland Women's Heritage Center and Museum (MWHC) is one of is a recent recipient of one of Maryland Humanities’ Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Project Grants. Today at 4:00 p.m., MWHC hosts a virtual panel, “The Next 100 Years: Continuing the Work of our Maryland Foremothers,” to explore issues and strategies for promoting a stronger, more equitable democratic process. Jean Thompson, Volunteer Researcher at MWHC, writes about women's current and past civic engagement.

We announce our top ten contenders for One Maryland One Book 2021! The theme this year is "Hope."

Preservation Maryland is a recent recipient of one of Maryland Humanities’ Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Project Grants. The organization will use the grant to expand the organization’s Ballot & Beyond women’s history project to continue to tell the complex story of Maryland’s suffragists  - some of the country’s first voting rights activists – in an online multi-media website.  Project leader Meagan Baco, Director of Communications at Preservation Maryland, shares their experience in this guest blog post.