March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 49 F

Maryland Humanities awards 12 electoral engangement grants

Maryland Humanities is pleased to award $20,034.60 to 12 Maryland organizations producing projects focusing on civic and electoral engagement: the grantees span six Maryland counties and Baltimore City.  These grants make up one component of the organization’s Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Project (VVEEP).

Grants will go to: Allegany College of Maryland; Allegany Museum; Bold Beautiful Brilliant Girls Youth Empowerment Group; Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.; March on Maryland dba March on Foundation; Marietta House Museum; Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and Museum; Patapsco Heritage Greenway; Preservation Maryland; Prince George’s County Memorial Library System; Queen Anne’s County Historical Society; and Susanna Wesley House, Inc. The recipients are located in Allegany County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Queen Anne’s County.

VVEEP programming will consist of an oral history collection and an author event as well as these grants. VVEEP is supported by a $50,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation administered through the Federation for State Humanities Councils for its initiative entitled “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation.” This initiative explores civic participation as it relates to electoral engagement in a multivocal democracy.

Lindsey Baker, Executive Director of Maryland Humanities, says: “This subject matter is critical any year, but especially this one. We appreciate being able to support this timely programming in a such a unique moment for our state and country.” She continues, “We look forward to this exploration of civic engagement with Marylanders.”

Learn more about VVEEP.

Voices and Votes Electoral Engagement Program Support Grant Awards

Allegany College of Maryland

  • Grant Award: $1,000
  • Allegany County

Allegany College of Maryland will host a local community artifact day for residents in the region to bring in letters, diaries, pictures, and articles related to voting, the women’s suffrage revolution, and civil rights.  The event, planned in partnership with the Allegany Museum, will be held at the Allegany College of Maryland Library. Digitized artifacts will be integrated into a companion exhibit on display during the tour of the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Voices and Votes.

Allegany Museum

  • Grant Award: $1,000
  • Allegany County

Allegany Museum will host a local community artifact day for residents in the region to collect photos and documents related to protests, marches, and demonstrations. The event, planned in partnership with the Allegany College of Maryland, will capture family photos and documents on a wide variety of issues to be digitized and integrated into a companion exhibit on display during the tour of the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Voices and Votes. Digital files collected will be preserved at the Western Maryland Regional Library.

Bold Beautiful Brilliant Girls Youth Empowerment Group

  • Grant Award: $1,539
  • Prince George’s County

As a part of Bold Beautiful Brilliant Girls Youth Empowerment Group’s mentorship program, youth will learn about the processes used to suppress the votes of Black people, the Electoral College, and the 15th and 19th Amendments. The mentees will then collaborate and create a webpage on the bbbyeg.org site for younger audiences to visit and explore. This page will be used to educate and empower the mentees’peers to learn about and reflect on the current state of our democracy.

Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Prince George’s County

Global Health and Education Projects will host a one-day voter education webinar on Google Meet called “U.S. Elections 101: Key Similarities and Differences for Immigrant Communities.” This workshop will educate members of minority and immigrant communities on the key aspects of U.S. elections, including the Electoral College, rules for voter eligibility, resources for voter registrations, and understanding the differences between the U.S. electoral system and systems in Africa and Latin America.

March on Foundation

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Anne Arundel County

March on Maryland will host the first virtual Women’s Unity March in January 2021. Utilizing an online platform, the event will offer dynamic speakers, workshops, and community discussions in every area of justice. This event is an opportunity to bring together local grassroots organizations and citizens from around the state.

Marietta House Museum

  • Grant Award: $1,520.60
  • Prince George’s County

Dr. Julie Rose, Marietta House Museum manager, will host an online workshop to kick off the “Giving Voice Initiative,” a public history approach to convene community partners to interpret, teach, and inspire social justice. In this workshop, participants will investigate sensitive ways and strategies to engage visitors with difficult histories, by considering stories of African American disenfranchisement as an example of how to responsibly and sensitively engage learners in upsetting and controversial history.

Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and Museum

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Baltimore City

The Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and Museum will host a virtual panel, “The Next 100 Years: Continuing the Work of our Maryland Foremothers,” to explore issues and strategies for promoting a stronger, more equitable democratic process. The panel will consider what it takes to ensure every individual understands civic responsibilities, including voting, thinking critically about legislation, advocating for change, and considering opposing viewpoints.

Patapsco Heritage Greenway

  • Grant Award: $1,975
  • Howard and Baltimore Counties

Patapsco Heritage Greenway will be collecting oral histories to preserve and interpret community stories that highlight voting rights and experiences. A virtual workshop will focus on best practices for oral history, including conducting oral histories virtually, community archiving, and inclusive practices in oral history. The aim is to assist heritage area partners in engaging the full range of diverse voices and perspectives in communities and to construct a more inclusive story of civic participation that fosters engagement in the present.

Preservation Maryland

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Baltimore City (Statewide)

Preservation Maryland launched a multi-media public history project, “Ballot & Beyond: The Legacy of the Suffrage Movement on Voting Rights,” to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment ratification that enfranchised American women with the right to vote. Preservation Maryland will expand Ballot & Beyond content with four new PreserveCast podcast episodes and engaging videos based on eight existing audio essays.

Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Prince George’s County (Statewide)

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System and Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission will host a three-part extension of their “Voting: Democracy in Action” virtual event series. The three events will: 1) discuss the diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx communities and how that is reflected in elections, 2) the role of immigration and individuals’ immigration status on inhibiting participation in our democracy, and 3) explore modern attempts to suppress Black votes and how communities can protect against those efforts on the local and state level. 

Queen Anne’s County Historical Society

  • Grant Award: $2,000
  • Queen Anne’s County

As part of the Museum on Main Street project for hosting Voices and Votes, Queen Anne’s County Historical Society will host conversations with residents that will be included in a companion exhibit. A diverse range of residents will participate with local officials and organizations to learn more about town and county civic processes, annual calendar of events, and local boards and to develop civic participation plans.

Susanna Wesley House, Inc.

  • Grant Award: $1,000
  • Baltimore City

The Susanna Wesley House will host a virtual event—Susanna Wesley and Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration—on January 24, 2021 to educate attendees on democracy in America and how it works.

Previous Article

BWI working to keep you healthy if you travel this holiday season

Next Article

December 18, 2020 | Daily News Brief | Hogan bans non-essential travel. Carrol’s Creek to close for three months. A new police chief for Anne Arundel.

You might be interested in …