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Grant
Awarded: November
2005
Type of Grant: We the People Grant
Sponsor:
Madonna University
Contact:
Jayne Morris-Crowther, 248-539-8462, morriscr@hotmail.com
Award:
$15,000
MADONNA
U. AWARDED $15k FOR HERITAGE PROJECT
Three
Defining Moments Impacting Michigan To Be Discussed In Video &
Lecture Series
(LIVONIA)-----The
Michigan Humanities Council (MHC) announces it has awarded a $15,000
grant to Madonna University for the video and lecture series “Three
Defining Moments: Historical Legacies that Shaped Michigan’s
Present.” The grant was awarded as a part of MHC’s We
the People grant program designed to fund projects that recognize
significant events and themes in American history and culture that
were grounded in Michigan. We the People is an initiative
of the National Endowment for the Humanities to support projects
that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s
history and asks that these lessons be shared with all Americans.
The initiative intends to strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding
of American history and culture.
“This
public humanities program provides an opportunity for residents
of Southeastern Michigan to explore how several defining moments
in American history have impacted Michigan,” stated Jan Fedewa,
executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council. “The
Michigan Humanities Council is pleased to fund this project which
will use a variety methods to encourage community dialogue about
our heritage and culture.”
Three
Defining Moments will engage public audiences in reflection
of three historical eras: the American Civil War, the first half
of the 20th century, and the post-9/11 world. The goal of the
project is to raise public awareness of how the humanities illustrate
the discussion of ideas and issues relevant to contemporary life
in Michigan. The project will emphasize the roles of diverse
populations of Michigan citizens, specifically: the 24th Michigan
Infantry of the Iron Brigade during the Civil War; the Underground
Railroad in Michigan; the waves of European immigrants to Michigan
in the early 20th century; the impact of the migration of southern
blacks to Michigan for work in the automobile industry; and, the
impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Arab Americans in Michigan.
“Madonna
University’s We the People project is designed to
acknowledge the diversity of Michigan as a reflection of the fragile
mosaic that makes up American society,” said Ernest Nolan,
Ph.D., vice president of Academic Administration for Madonna University.
“It will serve as an agent of change by engaging audiences
in thoughtful conversations about strategies for crossing the fault
lines of culture, race, and ethnicity.”
The
project is a partnership between Madonna University, Orchard Lake
Schools, Bloomfield Cable Television, TV Orient, and WDWB-TV Channel
20 to help sponsor three public lectures and four video programs. The
first lecture discussing the Civil War era will occur on Thursday,
Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at Madonna University’s Kresge Hall with
speaker Randal L. Hoyer, Ph.D., a history professor; the second
lecture about Inter-Ethnic Relations and the History of Immigration
to Michigan will occur in March 2006; the third lecture focused
on The Media Arab will occur in October 2006. All lectures
will take place at Madonna University’s main Livonia campus,
located at the corner of Levan and Schoolcraft roads.
In
addition to the lectures, four video presentations will be created
and broadcast to the public. The video presentations will discuss:
the Underground Railroad; Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel, Middlesex;
the Education Connection to the Arab-Chaldean community; and the
We the People initiative in Michigan. The videos will be captured
and produced on DVD to share with Orchard Lake Schools and interested
school districts. Madonna University and the Michigan Humanities
Council will announce the dates for the video broadcasts and DVD
distribution in spring 2006.
“Grants
from the Michigan Humanities Council help Michigan communities study
and preserve the state’s unique culture and heritage,”
stated United States Senator Debbie Stabenow. “I am please
to be able to support funding for the Council and for these important
local community projects.”
"Three
Defining Moments will be a valuable effort towards preserving
and celebrating Michigan's rich history,” stated United States
Senator Carl Levin. “The program will address a host
of important issues in an accessible way, and I'm happy to support
it."
The
Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is the state’s
independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for
the Humanities. For additional information on the Michigan Humanities
Council, please visit: www.michiganhumanities.org
or call 517-372-7770.
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