By Ruth Chang Portrayals in films, on TV shows, in magazines and across other media can dramatically affect how humans see themselves and each other. We asked three different Ohioans to share how media portrayals impacted their own sense of identity. “4 5 ‘00.” In a photograph, my father, my mother, my brother and I sit smiling on the concrete … Read More
Ghoulish reads
Our work often invokes serious topics or discussions, so here are our favorite spooky books–including some set in Ohio and written by authors from or with ties to Ohio–to help you enjoy the haunted humanities in celebration of All Hallows’ Eve! Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt The Haunted History of the Ohio State Reformatory by Sherri Brake House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski The … Read More
The Storytellers: Shawn Rech
By Taylor Starek Everyone told Shawn Rech it wouldn’t work in Cleveland. He couldn’t be a filmmaker here—he’d have to go to Hollywood. Rech was unphased. His first project, a local TV program, focused on unsolved crimes. “People told us we’d never have the production values,” he said. “[They said] we’d never get it on TV.” Rech’s program not only … Read More
Built on Broken Promises
Wyandots in Ohio Image courtesy of the Wyandot County Historical Society. Original painting on display at the Wyandot County Museum, Upper Sandusky, Ohio 235 years ago, the American government began experimenting with new land policies, vowing to never displace Indigenous tribes without their consent. Ohio became the testing ground—and one of the first sites of empty promises that would remove … Read More
Ohio’s Fight for School Integration
When their school district refused to desegregate after Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954, 55 Black women and children in a small Ohio town fought to desegregate a local elementary school by marching to the white school, demanding admission. Upon being rejected, they woke up the next morning and marched again. And again. And again. In the … Read More
A Vibrant Appalachia
Ohio Humanities is a proud supporter of humanities work throughout Ohio’s Appalachian communities, where funds are in high demand and other support is much less common than in larger cities. From a walkable outdoor exhibit in an Athens park that highlights the important role the humanities have played in the region to LatinX storytelling by Southern Ohio Folklife, we are … Read More
“The Prettiest Star” by Carter Sickels, and other queer stories
Review by Rebecca Brown Asmo In The Prettiest Star, Carter Sickels tells the story of Brian, a gay man living in 1980s New York City who, dying from AIDS and no longer able to care for himself, is forced to return to his small hometown in Ohio. Told from the perspectives of Brian himself, his younger sister Jess, and his mother … Read More
Celebrating Asian and Pacific Ohioans’ Stories
From awarding grants to organizations like Midstory to develop a virtual gallery highlighting the experiences of AAPI individuals and communities across Ohio to listening to the fifth episode of Amended, a podcast from our friends at Humanities New York that tells the story of Mabel Lee, a teenaged immigrant from China who led a New York City suffrage parade on horseback … Read More
Honoring Black Stories
This month, we join the rest of the country in celebrating Black History Month. Black Ohioans have made invaluable contributions to our state and our nation. There are countless ways to share Black stories, and we strive to highlight this crucial history in our programming throughout the year. Here is a list of some of our recent favorite books about … Read More
Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood by Dave Parker and Dave Jordan
Review by David Merkowitz As a Cincinnati Reds fan in the 1980s and 1990s, the experience was almost like a fable out of Greek mythology. Once, giants strode the earth, but that was in the time before. Now, our ballplayers were mere humans. In the 1970s, Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine dominated the National League, winning two World Series, making two appearances in … Read More