Project Humanities to expand public programming with support funding

ASU Project Humanities has received $12,000 from Arizona Humanities to expand public programming. With this funding, Project Humanities is able to offer a variety of film screenings and workshops that bring people together to promote the idea of talking, listening and connecting.

Two major series being financed are “Building Bridges and Perils” and “Perks of Privilege.” “Building Bridges,” created and led by Project Humanities’ Student’s Initiative, consists of four documentary screenings throughout the Valley with the expressed intent of bringing seemingly disconnected communities together. For details on the film lineup, visit http://humanities.asu.edu/events.

The funding also enables Project Humanities to continue its mission of "Humanity 101: Creating a Movement" through six Perils and Perks of Privilege workshops across the state of Arizona, including Bisbee, Yuma, Flagstaff and across Maricopa County. Based on the premise that everyone is simultaneously with and without privilege, these six workshop sessions, co-facilitated by Neal A. Lester and award-winning filmmaker Yvette Johnson, are interactive and designed to demonstrate the benefits and limitations of privilege. Each workshop is formatted similarly, but content varies according to the different venue and the different guest speaker. Information regarding the workshops is available at http://humanities.asu.edu/events.

Arizona Humanities, formerly The Arizona Humanities Council, has been a long supporter of public programming that raises awareness for the humanities and encourages understanding of “human thoughts, actions, creations and values.” Arizona Humanities chose to fund Project Humanities because this organization upholds the values the Humanities Council stands for.

Lester, creator and director of Project Humanities, accepted the funding and said that it “represents a robust and ongoing partnership with the Arizona Humanities Council for many years. We are proud to continue our message of talking, listening and connecting across communities.”

Project Humanities is an award-winning university-wide initiative at Arizona State University that promotes multidisciplinary humanities research and public programming across generations, communities and cultural boundaries. A central focus of Project Humanities this calendar year is to promote understanding and practice of seven values that constitute Humanity 101 – kindness, compassion, integrity, respect, empathy, forgiveness and self-reflection.

For more information on Project Humanities and its upcoming events, call 480-727-7030 or visit https://humanities.asu.edu/.