While the Declaration of Independence is not law, its impact is monumental as it serves as a vital foundational document that outlines the principles of natural rights – equality and liberty – that underpins the United States government and influenced the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
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National Black History Month has its origins in 1915, when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This organization is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History External (ASALH). In forming ASALH, Dr. Woodson noted that African American contributions were “overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.”
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In 2026, we will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the United States, the fight for liberty, equality, and justice has had a long and complex history.
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As we turn the page on 2025, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for your steadfast partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center.
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Over the past three months, I have been on the road doing a bit of driving. In addition to our MHC Statewide Tour - which took me to New Ulm, Rochester, St. Paul, Fergus Falls, Duluth, and Red Wing - I have been travelling with our good friends from Danger Boat Productions and OMG Studios (along with their wonderful OMG Innovation Lab youth) for our Sketches of Minnesota and Reconstruction Destructed film tours.
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When Congress created the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 1965, America was in a moment of great change. We were in the midst of a cold war on the world stage, the advance of computer technology, the space race was pushing human imagination beyond the earth, and the Civil Rights Movement was fueling debates about justice, identity, and freedom in classrooms and living rooms throughout the nation and world.
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This week was unseasonably cold and wet in the Twin Cities, and I found myself suddenly wondering where I had stored my warm comfortable sweaters. Despite my protests to the contrary, it was undeniably clear that summer was ending, the seasons were changing, and fall was coming to Minnesota. Despite…
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August has been unusually hot this year, to the point that the impact of “corn sweat” on humidity levels in Minnesota has been discussed on the porch and backyard on more than one occasion. The heat has given me the opportunity to catch up on good conversations, experiment with making…
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Summer has arrived in Minnesota and like most of you, we are attempting to make the most of the warm weather by keeping ourselves busy.
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I want to extend a sincere thank you to all who have reached out to ask me how things are going at the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC), considering the recent decision of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to terminate the contract between MHC and NEH.
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