CREATING THOUGHTFUL CITIZENS THE NMHC INSPIRES YOUNG STUDENTS TO INVEST IN THE HUMANITIES AND THEMSELVES

The nonprofit New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC) is celebrating 50 years of providing public programming in the humanities. The humanities’ fields include literature, history, art history, philosophy, ethnic studies, foreign languages, and religious studies. The NMHC was founded after the 1965 formation of the National Endowment for the Humanities. They’re primarily funded by big organizations like the McCune Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, but they’re deeply grateful for the smaller, individual donations they receive on the regular. Here’s a Q&A we had with NMHC exec director, Brandon Johnson, who’s a historian with a PhD from the University of Chicago.

WHAT’S THE NMHC DO? WHO ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS?

We primarily work out of school with the youth, providing public programming in the humanities. But we often overlap with what’s being done in school. One particular program [we run] is National History Day, working with teachers and students to provide training in historical research. It’s like a science fair for budding historians. We work directly with libraries, museums, cultural centers, and other nonprofits, and of course, schools, universities, and colleges.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING NATIONAL HISTORY DAY?

It’s [actually] a full-year, rigorous academic program with research- and project-based work [that] culminates in a national contest in College Park, Maryland in June. All the students that won at state show their projects: documentaries, papers, performances, showcases. The kids love it, and New Mexico does quite well every year. It’s pretty exciting.

WHAT ARE SOME LOCAL- MINDED PROGRAMS YOU’RE RUNNING?

We’re finding ways to connect people in far-flung communities. We’re also experimenting with digital mapping. We have a collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management where we’re doing preservation and education programs around archeological sites in southeastern New Mexico. We [also] worked for a while with the Library of Congress to provide teachers with cultural competence around Native American history in New Mexico.

WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW?

There’s a lot of emphasis placed on STEM these days, and rightly so. Those are important disciplines to pay attention to. But the humanities provide context for understanding STEM disciplines. Science has a history. Ethical concerns come up when we talk about science. And that’s a humanities avenue.

[Education isn’t] just about technical training; it’s about creating thoughtful citizens. And you can’t really do that without teaching about context, understanding, and cultural competence. Those things are essential to building a well-rounded citizenry.

WHAT ARE SOME COUNCIL PRIORITIES NOW OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

The big question of American culture, right now, is democracy, right? Is democracy important? Why is it important? How do we invest in it? How do we bring people back to thinking about the critical questions of how we interact, in the realm of governance and community? I don’t think that happens unless we can talk to each other. And clearly there are many divides in American society right now. [How do we talk] about it without hating each other? I try to remain hopeful that the work will slowly advance us [and have a] salutary effect on society.

WHAT DO YOU ADVISE THE YOUNG HUMANITIES STUDENTS GOING THROUGH YOUR PROGRAM?

I would say maintain creativity and an exploratory spirit. Talk with people, learn their stories, record their stories. Get your camera out and go take photographs of things you think are beautiful. That is an antidote to the rote learning that we all have to do.