LA2026

FAIN: GG-301072-24

University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA 90089-0012)
Peter C. Mancall (Project Director: January 2024 to present)
Amy Braden (Co Project Director: August 2024 to present)

Implementation of eighteen discussion events considering the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from the perspective of California and the West. 

The USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute requests an implementation grant of $400,000 for a Humanities Discussions Project, titled LA2026, and an additional $100,000 for a Position in the Public Humanities. Our project brings together members of the public and humanities scholars for eighteen conversations about museum and cultural exhibitions at six partnering institutions in the Los Angeles region. Each exhibition reframes conversations about the anniversary of 1776 from the perspective of California and the West. Our discussions respond to the American Tapestry and the A More Perfect Union NEH initiatives, encouraging public discussions about underrepresented groups, national identities, relationships between regional and national narratives, the struggle for democracy, climate change, and the nation’s uneven journey to an equitable and just society. Our project answers the call to address the experiences of Native Americans and underrepresented communities.