Virginia Humanities

#OTD in 1775, John Murray, fourth earl of Dunmore and the last royal governor of the Virginia colony, publicly issued a proclamation offering freedom to people enslaved or indentured by Patriots who fought for the Crown. The proclamation came after Black Virginians fled their enslavers, sought freedom aboard British vessels, and petitioned Dunmore to join his forces. Hundreds of Black people joined Dunmore's "Ethiopian Regiment," and were seen at the Battle of Great Bridge on December 9, 1775, wearing sashes emblazoned with the words "Liberty to Slaves." Learn more in our Encyclopedia Virginia entry: https://loom.ly/ggSDXm4 Source: Library of Virginia #EncyclopediaVA #VirginiaHistory #RevolutionaryWar #BlackHistory

We're excited to join The University of Virginia's College at Wise to announce a new regional humanities center in Southwest Virginia headquartered at the College. Named “Virginia Humanities at UVA Wise,” this new partnership will amplify stories from across Southwest Virginia and illustrate the ways the humanities bring communities together to foster dialogue and understanding. Learn more: https://loom.ly/m-E3Wk0

We have some exciting grantee events coming up between now and the end of November! Here are some highlights, and you can always go to the events section of our website to see all of our scheduled events at www.VirginiaHumanities.org #Humanities #Events #Carousel #Film

Four special workshops for educators, bookmaking & printing enthusiasts, and lovers of books & history will be held at the Virginia Center for the Book and UVA during the 2024-25 school year! These workshops will provide hands-on opportunities to investigate and develop educational activities using the #BookBeetle desktop handpress. Developed in 2016 by educator Josef Beery as a teaching press to introduce students to the techniques and technologies of printed book production that were developed in 15C Europe, this wooden desktop press is modeled on the Franklin-style common press. This Saturday, November 2, the first of these four workshops will be held at the Center for the Book from 1-4pm! Registration is free, but space is limited. Participation in all four workshops is expected, if possible. Learn more ??: https://loom.ly/phucZyo #BookPress #BookArts #WorkshopSeries

Looking for some spooky reading this Halloween season? Check out this new blog post from Aran Donovan, Assistant Director of our Virginia Center for the Book! "It’s Creepy Reads season! It may still be 70-plus degrees, but the maple trees are turning around Charlottesville. As we roll into Halloween, here are a few eerie book options to set the mood for costumes, candy, and cauldrons!" Read more ??: https://loom.ly/W5ZWhbo #Halloween2024 #CreepyReads #BookRecs

Presented by the @Clarke County Historical Association, Heritage Day returns for its 13th anniversary at the Burwell-Morgan Mill this Saturday, November 2! Running 11am to 4pm, this event features cider pressing, mill grinding, historical re-enactments, blacksmithing and more! This year’s festivities will also include numerous other historic organizations from around the area and will incorporate more historic time periods. Heritage Day is free and open to the public, although donations are encouraged. Learn more ??: https://loom.ly/u2R6WRw #HeritageDay #ClarkeCounty #ThroughTheAges

We're excited to announce $207,000 of funding in the form of new grants and sponsorships that have just been awarded to 20 nonprofit organizations in Virginia! “For 50 years, we’ve had the honor of awarding grants to important projects that amplify the stories of the people of Virginia,” said Virginia Humanities’ executive director Matthew Gibson. Learn more about the nonprofit organizations and projects receiving this round of funding: https://loom.ly/Rg5LcHM #Virginia #Humanities #NonProfitGrants #ProjectFunding

Serious congratulations are in order for our Virginia Center for the Book Director, Kalela Williams ! Just this week, Kalela released her debut novel, "Tangleroot!" Inspired by Central Virginia's local landscape and history, "Tangleroot" addresses such themes as erased or destroyed Black communities, book and curriculum bans, the legacy of enslavement, and the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. In a recent article with News Leader Media, Patrick Hite describes "Tangleroot" as "Deeply researched, [with] fictional diary entries, newspaper articles, as well as narratives from enslaved people, drawn from primary sources in historical archives collections like the Library of Virginia, as well as books and other resources." Read more about "Tangleroot" and Kalela's upcoming readings and other events celebrating its release: https://loom.ly/6lKRDb8 #Tangleroot #BookRelease #DebutNovel #Authors

As we start celebrating our 50th anniversary, we're also thinking about how Virginia Humanities got started! Like any good superhero or mission-driven organization, our origin story shapes our past as well as our plans for the future. Learn about our beginnings in the early 1970s on our website: https://loom.ly/Cp_lZ6A #OriginStory #HumanitiesCouncil #50thAnniversary

Inthrive Film Festival celebrates the voices and talents of incarceration survivors. Their National Tour 24-25 Opening Weekend in Richmond tomorrow and Saturday, Oct. 18 & 19, will be full of films, panelists, artists, and community partners celebrating people who have survived incarceration and have gone on to thrive! Come be a part of the community of incarceration survivors, advocates, allies, and friends that are working to remove barriers to successful reentry: https://loom.ly/dy661mk #FilmFestival #Inthrive #NationalTour #OpeningWeekend #Incarceration