The Humanities Council is proud to announce a total of $7,700 awarded through the following five mini grants from our 2019 February grant cycle to organizations and individuals working to expand the ways Rhode Islanders engage with issues of incarceration, public memory, place, and belonging, and action-civics curriculum. Read on for more details.
Organizations
East Providence Public Library, “Good on the Inside:” The Children of Incarcerated Parents – $600
To support a screening of Tre Maison Dasan, a film that looks at children in three families in Rhode Island who have been impacted by the crimes and incarceration of either one or two parents. The film examines the impacts of mass incarceration on families in the US. Following the film, the library hosts a talkback discussion facilitated by the film’s director and subjects.
Pawtucket School Department – Goff Middle School, Generation Citizen – $1,100
To support the implementation of a middle school action-civics curriculum for students in Goff Middle School classrooms in Pawtucket. The program empowers students to identify, address, and develop solutions to civic issues and challenges in their communities.
University of Rhode Island, Public Memory, Place, and Belonging on Block Island – $2,000
To support the planning stages of an exhibit exploring the continuous history of Native and African-American peoples on Block Island over the last 400 years. The project begins the process of repatriating narratives of Native and African-American individuals often left out of the standard history and cultural traditions of Block Island.
Individuals
Joey La Neve DeFrancesco, Rethinking the Gaspee Affair – $2,000
To support a research project reexamining Rhode Island’s Gaspee Affair and the economic/social motivations of the revolutionary leaders who led the insurrection. The project culminates in a series of community lectures and a small pop-up exhibit hosted by several Rhode Island libraries.
Virginia Thomas, The LGBTQ Oral History Project of Providence and Rhode Island – $2,000
To support a research project documenting the histories and lived experiences of LGBTQ leaders and activists in the state. Recorded and transcribed oral histories are donated to the Providence Public Library and the research culminates in a panel discussion reflecting on the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
