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NMI Humanities Council awards $15,000 grants
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Posted on Jan 06 2009
The NMI Council for the Humanities recently awarded two community grants to support local humanities projects.
The African American Cultural Preservation Committee was awarded a $5,000 grant to undertake several activities to mark the third annual Martin Luther King Day in the CNMI. This year the Commonwealth will observe MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 19.
Major activities include a series of lectures by noted civil rights activist Marsha Joyner who will speak at schools and other public venues on Saipan, Tinian and Rota, a student elocution contest with the theme “What Would Martin Say?,” a commemorative mini-march, and a public exhibit of Martin Luther King memorabilia.
Joyner’s lectures will address the theme “The Color of Unity the Pacific Way.” She will explore the roots of racism and the struggle for civil equality in the United States and will consider the socio-political significance of the recent election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.
The NMI Council also awarded a $10,000 grant to Horse Opera Productions to complete a documentary film titled Insular Empire: America in the Mariana Islands.
This documentary explores the historical events that led to the American presence in the Marianas and how this presence continues to impact the lives of indigenous residents of the archipelago.
The one-hour film uses archival photos, film clips and first person accounts to tell the story of America’s insular empire in the Marianas. The film presents the perspectives of four prominent individuals, two each from Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
They include former Lt. Governor and Washington Representative Pedro A. Tenorio and cultural preservationist Lino M. Olopai from the CNMI; and World War II veteran and former legislature Carlos P. Taitano and former senator Hope Cristobal from Guam.
Upon completion, The Insular Empire will be broadcast nationally on PBS and at local venues in the CNMI and Guam.
Anyone wishing to learn more about these projects or about the NMI Council’s Community Grants Program may contact Council staff at 235-4785 or visit its website at www.nmihumanities.org. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
