Podcasts

Did you know that third grade is a pivotal year for students learning to read? Reading proficiently by the end of that grade can be a marker for successes through a student’s college years. Angelique Jessup, Program Director at the Baltimore Campaign for Grade Level Reading, tells us more about reading development.

The subject of famous quotes spoken by figures ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Homer Simpson, beer continues to play a major role in America’s social and cultural fabric. Did you know that beer’s central role in our culture began even before the United States achieved independence? Graduate student Emma Schrantz writes about the intersections between the craft brewing industry, historic preservation, and community development. She tells us more about beer’s history in America.

Did you know an iron forge in Frederick, Maryland was a stop on Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad? Predating the American Revolution, Catoctin Furnace ran for over a century. The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society – a recent Maryland Humanities grantee – formed in 1973. Archaeologist Elizabeth Anderson Comer, Secretary of Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, discusses melding the area’s well-known history with the lesser-known stories of some of the site’s enslaved workers.

How can one culinary specialty teach us about both our own heritage and that of other cultures? Ravi Chhatani tells us more. Chhatani is the CEO and founder of Nela in Baltimore. Nela produces panela: unprocessed sugar made by boiling and evaporating sugarcane juice, popular in Central and South America.

Maryland History Day, brought to you by Maryland Humanities, is much more than one day—each student spends on average more than 70 hours envisioning, researching, and fine-tuning a research project. More than 27,000 middle and high school participate in this year-long program. Maryland History Day culminates in a statewide contest, where winners advance to National History Day. Christine Pritt, a former Maryland History Day Teacher of the Year, provides a reflection of one of the many benefits of student participation: building community. This year's Maryland History Day competition is just around the corner on April 28 at UMBC.

Last year, Historic Sotterley, a former plantation in Southern Maryland, began the Descendants Project. They gathered information about anyone affiliated with Sotterley, whether they were enslaved, employed or otherwise associated with the site. This month, Sotterley hosts Our American Family, funded with a grant from Maryland Humanities. The event will connect existing and emerging stories of Sotterley descendants with members of the public interested in Southern Maryland’s history. Jeanne Pirtle, Education Director at Sotterley, tells us more about the project.

In 1968, activists in our own backyard protested the Vietnam War in a way that would become a landmark in our nation’s history of civil disobedience. 2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Catonsville Nine. Joby Taylor, Director of the Shriver Peaceworkers Fellows Program at UMBC, tells us more about the historic events in Maryland and plans to acknowledge their impact.

Maryland Humanities Executive Director Phoebe Stein joins us with a message of gratitude and an exciting announcement regarding our Humanities Connection segment.

Did you know that an article of clothing can be interpreted as a historical document? What can we learn about figures from Maryland’s past by looking at what they wore? Allison Tolman, Chief Registrar and Associate Curator of the Fashion Archives at the Maryland Historical Society, tells us more.

How are two women pushing past the gatekeeping that sometimes occurs within cultural institutions? Amanda Figueroa and Raven Ruffin started Brown Girls Museum Blog, a platform that aims to promote the visibility of people of color, especially women, in the museum field and in academia.