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| Delaware Humanities Forum | September 2010 Newsletter |
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Crazy Quilt, begun by Hannah Greenlee (American, ca. 1827-before 1896) and finished by her daughter, Emm Greenlee (American, died ca. 1910), 1896. Historic Carson House, Marion, N.C. |
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Greetings!
In 1984, Jesse Jackson gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he said: "America is not like a blanket--one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt--many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread." Ever since a famous play dominated Broadway in the early 1900s, America has been compared to a "melting pot," a metaphor which now harkens back to a time when assimilation was the norm. These days, America is more often compared to an item with parts that are diverse, if not completely separate: from a "salad bowl," to a spicy vindaloo, to a quilt. These new metaphors, more xenophilic than those of the past, but perhaps less poetic, make the idea of a "melting pot" seem as quaint and outdated as the myth of streets paved with gold.
September is a month when both our differences, and the things that tie us together, come under a spotlight. Friday was Constitution Day, a day when we celebrate the legacy of our founding fathers, and through school programs, we "develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans." We celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. This year, we experience something that doesn't happen often: Rosh Hashana and Ramadan are observed at the same time (Islamic observances honor a lunar calendar, so they recur at many different times of the year). It's also National Courtesy Month, and in Delaware, we welcome the Hispanic and Polish Festivals as well as Oktoberfest.
Of course, none of these celebrations is without controversy. The very mention of "habits of citizenship," "new Americans" and honoring "foreign" cultures stirs up emotions. Immigration law is a hot-button issue, as are "sensitivity," "sacred places" and "religious freedom," especially now as they relate to the neighborhood where the 9/11/01 tragedy took place. Even courtesy is subjective: what are good manners to some might be culturally insensitive to others, and political correctness is seen by some as creating more problems than solutions. For this reason, DHF is thrilled to have turned its focus to the subject of "civic discourse." We look forward to offering programming in the near future that shines a light on the language we use to define our differences and the diplomacy we apply in order to get along and to get important work done.
As always, we encourage you to visit the News page of our website to learn about upcoming programs offered by DHF, its Speakers Bureau members and outside agencies. Many of these programs are free, and there are programs in every county throughout the year. Marilyn P. Whittington
Executive Director
P.S. Each month, in this e-newsletter, DHF will draw your attention to the definition of a humanities discipline. This month, we look at COMPARATIVE RELIGION, the study of world religions through an investigation of themes and contrasts. The humanities as we know them were born of the Renaissance, when scholars turned their attention from the study of scripture toward the study of man; the humanities brought scholarship full circle when academics began to study religions objectively rather than devotionally. |
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2010 Fall Lecture
Words Matter
Jim Leach, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, visits Delaware on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 and DHF is honored that Chairman Leach will deliver our 2010 Fall Lecture on the campus of Delaware State University. This free event will take place in DSU's Education and Humanities Theater, commencing at 11am, and is open to everyone (no RSVP required).
As with past NEH leaders, Chairman Leach has a "platform," which he first discussed at his swearing-in ceremony in August 2009:
"In an era where declining civility increasingly hallmarks domestic politics and where anarchy has taken root in many parts of the world, it is imperative that cultural differences at home and abroad be respectfully understood, rather than irrationally denigrated."
Who better than a one-time United States Representative to lead the charge in shining a humanities spotlight on the way people speak to each other when they have different points of view? Chairman Leach will present his thoughts on Civility in America to an audience of scholars, students, citizens and government officials, just one week after our national elections!
Civic discourse is a subject DHF has turned its focus on in 2010, and it is our shared hope that Chairman Leach will achieve his goal of helping citizens find a common vocabulary and common points of understanding for issues that face them as people and as citizens of their states--issues that also face us as a nation and as a partner in the global community.
Chairman Leach founded and co-chaired the Congressional Humanities Caucus and served on both banking and Asian affairs committees during his 30-year tenure as an Iowa Congressman, which began in 1976. He became Chairman of the NEH in August 2009.
Following the lecture, Chairman Leach will return to New Castle County for additional opportunities to meet the citizens of Delaware.
If you have questions about our Fall Lecture, contact DHF by email at info@dhf.org or by phone at 302-657-0650 or toll free 800-752-2060. |
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Hard at Work
Apple picking ladders, W.L. Smith Orchard; Cheswold. Courtesty Delaware Public Archives | Book Series Expands to Kent County
Starting September 30, 2010, DHF will present a book series in Kent County, featuring novels that reflect the history of labor and industry in Delaware. The three novels span two centuries and many settings, from the lives of runaway slaves before the Civil War, to a time when towns and working people changed with the rise and fall of business, up to today.
Participants are invited to read the selected books and take part in three evenings of book discussion and entertainment at Wesley College, 120 N. State St. in Dover. Events take place September 30, October 20 and November 10 at 7pm.
The series theme is "Hard at Work." Each book is insightfully written by a distinguished contemporary novelist. Actors from Wilmington's City Theater Company will begin each program with a brief dramatic reading from the featured novel. In addition, two local scholars will talk about the books' connections to Delaware business and employment.
Song Yet Sung by James McBride: Before the Civil War, runaway slaves flee through the swamps of Maryland's Eastern Shore, chased by Patty Cannon's gang of kidnappers. The Code of the Underground Railroad tells them how to go. But fugitive Liz Spocott has strange dreams of the future. In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike: Between 1910 and the 1990s, four generations of the Wilmot family confront the modern America of factories, unions, booming cities and the fascinating movie business. But there's a spiritual loss, and small-town Delaware remains a refuge from ruthless competition. Empire Falls by Richard Russo: In this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the fictional river town of Empire Falls, Maine, is dominated by the wealthy Whiting family dynasty, even after the old textile mills close because of overseas competition. Yet the local people who gather at the Empire Grill diner prove to be resilient regardless of corporate fortunes. Finally a credit-card bank buys up and transforms the riverfront buildings. In real life, Delaware-based MBNA bank did this in Camden, Maine, novelist Russo's hometown.
The book talk events take place as follows:
On Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7pm in College Center 206, participants will discuss Song Yet Sung. Percussionist Kamau Ngom will perform African drum music and talk about the African connection to blues music, country shouts and the Underground Railroad. On Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7pm in Slaybaugh Hall's Wells Theater, participants will discuss In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike. Terry Snyder of the Hagley Library will talk about Delaware's early millworkers. On Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7pm in Slaybaugh Hall's Wells Theater, participants will discuss Empire Falls by Richard Russo. University of Delaware business history specialist Jonathan S. Russ will talk about the evolution of modern industry.
There is no fee to participate and no registration is required. Please join us and bring a friend. This book series is part of DHF's Delaware Industrial History Initiative (DIHI)*. It is funded with a "We the People" grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information on the book program, contact Rita Truschel, DHF project consultant, by phone (302-838-7288) or by email. *Speaking of DIHI, earlier this month, DHF held three roundtable discussions with representatives from historical repositories across the state, including Delaware Division of Libraries, Delaware Public Archives, the City of Wilmington, Delaware Historical Society, Hagley Museum and Library, Iron Hill Museum and the Milton, Lewes and Seaford Historical Societies. The groups discussed potential projects in the digital humanities, digitizing their collections and DHF's plans to develop a state-wide federated search engine of historical collections. Want to learn more about DIHI? See the recent News Journal article about the first round of funding DHF awarded this spring, our recent newsletter and our DIHI pages on www.dhf.org. |
| New Humanities Offerings
Speakers Bureau and Visiting Scholars Catalog Update Impending
In August, DHF accepted applications from scholars and subject matter experts for new presentations with potential to be included in the 2010-2011 Speakers Bureau and Visiting Scholars catalog. Last week, DHF Council members, staff and other friends of the Forum held "auditions" in which applicants imparted abbreviated versions of their lectures and presentations and fielded questions from the review panel. Following one more audition this week, DHF will update its current offerings to include a number of new presentations into its Speakers Bureau and Visiting Scholars catalog. Through the Speakers Bureau, DHF offers a wide selection of informal lecture/discussion presentations on a variety of humanities topics designed to promote a better understanding of the world in which we live. Through our Visiting Scholars Program, DHF enables scholars to make a wide assortment of special presentations available--for free--to Delaware classrooms, grades 1 through 12. Know an organization or school that would like to access a speaker or scholar? Have a subject in which you are an expert? Visit www.dhf.org, email info@dhf.org or call 302-657-0650 or toll free 800-752-2060. |
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The humanities make a life-long impact on young people. This summer, DHF welcomed Delaware Futures' summer intern Trudy Dalida, a rising sophomore from the Charter School of Wilmington. We soon learned that Trudy won a poetry contest when she was in fourth grade! Fourth grade poet...tenth grade humanities intern...future humanities scholar, perhaps? Also, Gus Mercante, our grants administrator from several years ago, has returned to DHF as a part-time staff member, following his amazing world travels, including earning a Masters of Music in Voice, followed by a year in Germany on a Fulbright Fellowship. |
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The Delaware Humanities Forum has offered programs that connect people, cultures and ideas for over 35 years. Through literature, art history, material culture, philosophy, civic discourse and other humanities disciplines, DHF helps citizens, scholars and nonprofit organizations accumulate a balanced body of knowledge about Delaware, making it available to the public now and in perpetuity. In 2010 we are pleased to turn the focus on Delaware's industrial history, to safeguard the history of the workers, structures and products that are critical to understanding the culture of the First State.
Please consider becoming a Friend of the Forum today by contributing to our Annual Fund. Friends of the Forum are the first to find out about opportunities, such as our Humanities Salons, and through the generous support of our Friends, the Forum offers nearly all of our programs free of charge to the citizens of Delaware.
Your donation in any amount will be most appreciated and wisely used. Click here to make a donation online today. | |
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About the Delaware Humanities Forum
The humanities-subjects which include literature, ethics, political science and history-help people make a connection between their own lives and other people, cultures, and ideas. Through grants and public program offerings, the Delaware Humanities Forum builds bridges to connect the daily life and work of people to the universe of human experience, thought, and imagination. The Forum brings the public together with cultural, educational, and civic institutions statewide, and focuses on issues of public interest and concern.
As a state division of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Delaware Humanities Forum supports organizations by awarding grants and implementing project initiatives such as lectures, symposia, exhibitions, classroom programs, and media projects. Your non-profit organization, school, library, or government agency may qualify for funding from the Forum and can obtain subject matter experts for lectures and presentations. To learn more about funding opportunities and the other resources available through the Delaware Humanities Forum, visit our website at http://www.dhf.org or call 302.657.0650 or toll free 800.752.2060. | |
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