Council Chair Joins Humanities Advocates in Washington

March 15, 2018
Esther Schor (third from right) with NJ delegates, from left: Joyce Rechtschaffen, Paul Israel, Caryn Radick, Rep. Leonard Lance, James McClure, and Alex Hermann (Photo: Bri Hearn)

On March 12 and 13, Esther Schor, Acting Chair of the Humanities Council, joined with nearly 230 scholars, editors, and librarians from across the country for National Humanities Advocacy Day.

The two-day event featured an address by NEH Chairman-designate John Parrish Peede, panel discussions about making the case for the humanities, and advocacy training.  On the second day, along with colleagues from both Princeton and Rutgers, Professor Schor visited the offices of Senators Booker and Menendez, and five House members of New Jersey’s delegation, including Rep. Leonard Lance (pictured above), this year’s recipient (along with Sen. Tom Udall) of the Yates Award from the National Humanities Alliance.

Last year, when the Trump administration proposed to eliminate the NEH, Congress responded by sustaining it with a budget of $150m. Emboldened by this support, the Alliance is asking Congress to increase the NEH budget to $155m for FY 2019. The public was urged to advocate from home on social media: #NHAD18.

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