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On March 11, Sam Dorf (AMS Treasurer), Haley Garrick (AMS Marketing & Communications Manager), and Bonnie Gordon (AMS Vice President) participated in Humanities Advocacy Day by meeting with members of Congress and their aides about the importance of continued funding for the humanities. Meetings were held on Capitol Hill and organized by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA), a coalition of more than 170 institutions and organizations. (The AMS is a long-time member of the NHA and an organizational sponsor of this year’s NHA Annual Meeting and Humanities Advocacy Day.)

In their conversations with members of Congress, Dorf, Garrick and Gordon emphasized the importance of the Society’s Many Musics of America Project which, thanks in large part to funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has organized dozens of events across the country highlighting the ways that music animates the rhythms of American life. They also spoke passionately about the many ways that music scholars and musicians use documents preserved and digitized by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission in music studies teaching and writing. Moreover, Dorf, Garrick and Gordon further emphasized that Title VI and Fulbright-Hays funds have supported AMS members engaged in international collaborations and research, and that such funds are crucial to educating the next generation of music studies teachers and researchers.

Participation in and sponsorship of Humanities Advocacy Day is just one of the ways that the American Musicological Society is working to push back against the rising tide of threats to humanities and music education in the United States. However, the rapid pace of executive orders and adverse congressional activity is creating new obstacles and challenges almost by the day. Thus, we encourage AMS members in the United States who feel called upon to resist these developments to speak and act with us in opposition to them.

Below are a few suggestions for AMS members in the United States who wish to advocate at the federal level for the humanities and those who study or teach the humanities.

  1. Support NEH, NARA and Title VI Fulbright-Hays: Contact your Senators and Congressional Representatives THIS WEEK. Ask them to sign Dear Colleague letters supporting the NEH, NARA and Title VI Fulbright-Hays when they begin circulating. (See links to resources and congressional contact info below.)
  2. Caucus in Support of the Humanities: Urge your Representatives to join the Humanities Caucus and your Senators to join the Senate Cultural Caucus. These are easy ways for members of Congress to show their support for the humanities and to stay informed about threats to humanities programs.
  3. Report Funding Interruptions: The Democratic representatives and Senators we spoke to want to know about any and all interruptions of authorized federal funding. So, contact your Congressional representatives (and those members of the Humanities Caucus and Senate Cultural Caucus nearest to you) to report any situation where federal funds in support of programs or projects are being withheld or interrupted despite a court order or stay freeing up those funds. Supportive members of Congress want a clear picture of what is happening on the ground and may be able to assist in recouping this funding.

 

You can find contact information for elected officials here. And you can sign up for NHA action alerts here.