By Stephen Kidd
Today, we announced that the 2020 National Humanities conference has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, you can find the full text of the letter that was sent to all of our member organizations and grassroots advocates.
Dear colleagues,
We are writing with the news that the 2020 National Humanities Conference has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now clear that the global health crisis will not be resolved by November, and a large gathering of people from around the country represents an untenable health risk.
We would like to offer our deep gratitude to Indiana Humanities and the members of the program committee for their efforts over the last two years. Indiana Humanities has worked tirelessly and creatively preparing to welcome the humanities community to Indianapolis and provide rich place-based experiences. We looked forward to bringing the humanities community together and grappling with the theme of “crossroads” just days after the 2020 presidential election.
As we move forward, we are committed to facilitating alternative opportunities for engaging with each other around this important theme, which has become even more meaningful in recent months. If you are scheduled to participate in a session at the meeting, we will be in touch in the next few weeks with options for virtual engagement. Once a full plan for virtual events is in place, we will share that plan broadly with the community. We appreciate your patience in the meantime.
Not having a 2020 National Humanities Conference in Indianapolis is a real loss to our communities, but we are optimistic that we will collectively find new, productive forms of engagement during this period of physical distancing.
We wish you and your families well.
Best regards,
Stephen Kidd
Executive Director
National Humanities Alliance
Phoebe Stein
President
Federation of State Humanities Councils
Posted on July 1, 2020