For Immediate Release
November 10, 2021
Contact: Aimee Cotton Bogush | abogush@cthumanities.org | 860-937-6648
CT Humanities Awards $24,574 in Quick Grants to 6 Cultural Nonprofits for Humanities Programs, Themes include Vietnam Veterans, Culture of Food, Issues Facing CT’s Small Farms, and Overcoming Racial and Gender Discrimination
MIDDLETOWN – At their October meeting, the board of directors of CT Humanities (CTH) awarded $24,574 in humanities project grants from the CT Humanities fund.
This round of Quick Grant funded programs that address a variety of themes relating to the culture of food; lessons and contributions from women, Black, and Latino veterans of the Vietnam War; how Connecticut farming is adapting to climate change; and the legacies of Miss James and Ann Petry, two notable Black women who overcame racial and gender discrimination.
The six organizations awarded Quick Grants in October are:
CLiCK (Windham, $4,950), Just Food, Windham Region Chamber of Commerce Foundation/Eastern CT Veterans Community Center (Windham, $3,999), The Vietnam War-Lessons Learned, Wethersfield Historical Society (Wethersfield,$4,950), Maritime Wethersfield Program Series, Windham Textile & History Museum (Windham, $1,500), Increasing Accessibility in the Time of COVID, Sharon Historical Society (Sharon, $4,700), Reinventing Farming: How Small Farmers in the NW Corner are Finding Niches amidst Climate Change, Industrial Farms, and Large Supply Chains, and Old Saybrook Historical Society (Old Saybrook, $4,475), Family Matters: Insights and Inspiration from Miss James and Ann Petry.
First-time applicant, CLiCK, is a cooperative and commercial kitchen and educational facility in Windham. CLiCK will use the grant for a lecture series addressing the historical, social, political, and environmental context and consequences of our food and agricultural systems. Additional hands-on workshops will engage participants with the food and culture of six ethnic groups represented in the local community. Programs will run from Nov. 2021 through July 2022.
Leigh Duffy, executive director at CLiCK, explains, “According to the United Nations Charter, easy access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a basic human right. Consequently, food constitutes a useful vehicle to investigate the social, political, and cultural systems of different societies because of the ways in which this basic right is or is not met and which groups are favored or disfavored.”
Funding will enable the Sharon Historical Society to work with local farmers and agriculture teachers to present Reinventing Farming. The exhibit and accompanying videos and panel discussions will examine the new crops, farming methods, and distribution approaches that small farmers in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner are using to keep farming alive amid the pressures of climate change, industrial farming, and large supply chains.
Christine Beer, director of the Sharon Historical Society, shares, “The Reinventing Farming Project extends our mission to collect, preserve and share Sharon stories by presenting critical issues facing Sharon and other still largely rural communities in Connecticut’s Northwest corner. The project will help local audiences better appreciate the complex situation facing both residents and farmers as the latter strive to keep farming alive amid the challenges of climate change, the restructuring of the food supply chain, and an ever-tightening market for the products of small farms.”
The grant awarded to the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce Foundation, another first-time applicant, will provide funding for the Eastern Connecticut Veterans Community Center’s military museum to present an exhibition on the Vietnam War and the role of women, Blacks, and Latinos that served. Through video interviews and discussion, the program will explore the veterans’ time in the war and how their service affected their lives and their interactions with their home communities. They will share how the current withdrawal from Afghanistan affects them as well.
Diane Nadeau, president, and CEO of the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce says, “With the American withdrawal from Afghanistan we are seeing a large population of veterans who are angry and re-living the emotional traumas from their service in Vietnam, yet we also see a very large population of Americans who cannot grasp the severity of the situation. Our hope is that we can shed light on the current situation through an understanding of the belief system held by our soldiers across wars and generations.”
There are several opportunities to apply for a Quick Grant from CT Humanities throughout the year. For more information on eligibility and deadlines, visit cthumanities.org/grants/quick-grants.
About CT Humanities
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH promotes civic engagement and connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.
