Mott haven history keepers: investing in grassroots public humanities infrastructure [this project will identify and support the people within the south bronx?s mott haven community who are already…

This $148,988 Project Grant was awarded on October 1, 2023 by the National Endowment for the Humanities under the Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access (CFDA 45.149) program. The grant funding will support the "Mott Haven History Keepers" project, which aims to identify, honor, and invest in members of the Mott Haven community in the South Bronx who are serving as "history keepers" and repositories of the neighborhood's history, despite not being professional or credentialed humanities workers. The grant will provide stipends, training, and paid apprenticeships to these community-based history keepers, enabling them to deepen their work and share it publicly through exhibits, performances, or events. The project will also collaborate with the Bronx County Historical Society to help the history keepers preserve, digitize, and archive any materials they choose to share, including oral histories. The overarching goal is to amplify the knowledge of long-time Mott Haven residents, strengthen community social networks, and build on existing local practices for resilience and creativity.

Mott haven history keepers: investing in grassroots public humanities infrastructure [this project will identify and support the people within the south bronx?s mott haven community who are already serving as ?history-keepers,? Expanding what counts as humanities work and who counts as humanities workers. We will honor, invest in, and learn from the people who hold our neighborhood?s history and who are not professional, credentialed humanities workers. Each history-keeper will be provided with a significant stipend, training, and a paid apprentice. They will be supported to deepen the work they are already doing, and share IT within their neighbors through a public exhibit, performance, or event. Working with the bronx county historical society, history-keepers will have the opportunity to preserve, digitize and archive any materials they choose to share, including oral histories. Through amplifying the knowledge of long-time residents, this project will strengthen social networks and build on existing practices for resilience and creativity.]