National Humanities Center

10/09/2026

Join us October 27 for a performance of The Mending Sampler, an original song cycle, composed by Tulane professor C. Leonard Raybon, based on the award-winning book, The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America by UNC-CH professor John Wood Sweet (NHC Fellow, 2011-12; 2024-25).

This event, presented in partnership with the Research Triangle Park, is free and open to the public; but registration is required.

Written for five voices, piano, and harpsichord, this song cycle draws on historical sources to tell the story of Lanah Sawyer, who accused a gentleman of r**e in 1793.

09/29/2026

Last week, the National Humanities Center welcomed the 2026–27 Teacher Advisory Council for three days of orientation. Teachers got to know the Center and one another better as they planned their work to support the NHC's education programs. Among the highlights of the gathering was a presentation from Mike Burns, a member of last year's council, who spoke to the group about the challenges of teaching in the AI era.

09/21/2026

Come celebrate our new exhibit, "The Inner Passage," tomorrow evening!

The National Humanities Center, in partnership with , will host an artist reception and public conversation between NHC President and .
Sept. 22nd at 5:30 p.m.

Link in bio.

09/16/2026

Last week, we welcomed the 2026–27 Fellows class to the Center, and they immediately went about meeting one another, getting oriented, and sitting down to work. Here's to a productive and memorable fellowship year!

Photos:

09/08/2026

Join us Sept. 22 for an event to celebrate the opening of our new exhibit of compelling photographs by Virginia McGee Richards.
This event, presented in partnership with the Research Triangle Park, is free and open to the public; but registration is required.

Virginia Richards and Blair LM Kelley will discuss the landscapes and stories of the Inner Passage, canals built in the 1700s by enslaved people in South Carolina's Lowcountry.

06/24/2026

How have African Americans engaged with US foreign policy toward Africa and the Caribbean since the mid-twentieth century? NHC Fellow Ronald Williams II’s research project examines TransAfrica, the African American foreign policy advocacy organization, and asks what enabled its rise and what limited its long-term influence.

Read more about his important work: https://bit.ly/4xyZCfV

06/18/2026

What role does imagination play in the creation of ethically charged art? NHC Fellow Emine Hande Tuna’s research project examines the limits and implications of imagination as a form of resistance within artworks.

Read more about her important project: https://bit.ly/3QLkjof

06/17/2026

We’re enjoying our time this week in Texas at our 2026 Teaching African American Studies Institute (TAASI) hosted by Prairie View A&M University.

Educators are participating in a deep dive into unraveling the various ways digital humanities can expand Black studies to make this complicated, varied history more accessible to teachers and students, alike. Each day, they attend immersive, hands-on learning experiences and sessions led by an incredible lineup of scholars and speakers. For our participants, there is much more to unpack and learn over the next few days.

Thank you to our partners at the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice, Director Melanye Price, Assistant Director Marco Robinson, as well as PVAMU faculty, staff, and students.

06/16/2026

“African Americans have defined freedom for the entire country...They were pushing the country toward thinking about all these rights that we all now take for granted.”

NHC President and Director Blair LM Kelley appeared live last Saturday to discuss the importance of Juneteenth as a national holiday.

06/15/2026

The National Humanities Center (NHC) is pleased to announce the re-appointment of Dr. Ben Vinson III as Presidential Scholar-in-Residence for 2026–27.

The Presidential Scholar-in-Residence initiative was established by NHC president and director Blair LM Kelley to recognize the accomplishments of distinguished scholars and humanities leaders and invite them to participate in the robust intellectual life of the Center.

Dr. Ben Vinson III has been re-appointed as a 2026–27 Presidential Scholar-in-Residence at the National Humanities Center.