At California Humanities, Equity is a Guiding Light
Julie Fry, president and CEO of California Humanities, has made the organization’s mission to find ways to amplify the state’s diversity of voices. In response, the organization is seeking ways to reflect upon this principle and realize racial equity through its programming, grantmaking, and outreach, as discussed in an interview in Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities' publication.
The state's diversity is a driver of this mission:
It’s hard to imagine another place where there’s so much diversity in every way: cultural, racial and ethnic, political, economic, even topographical. In a state this large and complex, there are so many things to understand about each other. It’s so essential that California Humanities help lift up that rich tapestry of voices in various ways.
In her interview, Fry also talks about some initiatives that center the expansion of voices and ground the importance of humanities in strengthening practices across California. One such initiative, for instance, aims to capture young people’s stories and showcase the perspectives of soon-to-be-voting teens.
Equity is at the center of their work; “let’s bring everyone to the table,” Fry says as a principle and a practice.
Image: California Humanities website