Historical Society receives Kellogg Grant to fund diversity efforts

The Historical Society of Michigan has been named the recipient of a $299,000 grant to facilitate the active engagement of Michigan's minority and underserved communities in the appreciation of state history. The grant--awarded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan--is the largest given to the Society in its existence. "We are excited to receive this generous grant, which will enable us to build on our past efforts to ensure that the teaching, preservation and sharing of Michigan history--be it in a classroom, at a conference, through a local museum, or in the pages of a publication--represent the whole story of our state and all the people who have contributed to its development," said Larry J. Wagenaar, the Society's executive director. The Kellogg grant will fund a two-year plan impacting all five of the Society's mission areas: education, publications, conferences, awards and recognition programs, and support to local historical organizations. Specific goals include the following: * To dramatically increase the number of schools and students in minority and underserved communities participating in Michigan History Day (National History Day in Michigan). This educational program challenges students in grades 4 through 12 to research and develop history projects for competition on regional, state, and national levels. * To enhance the cultural diversity represented within the sessions and keynote addresses at the Society's three major conferences in the Upper Peninsula, the Lower Peninsula, and Southeast Michigan. * To encourage the participation of people of color in the Society's educators' conference, Mulling Over Michigan. * To develop and deliver a slate of onsite workshops, to enhance the management of local historical organizations in minority and underserved communities. * To ensure that the Society's two magazines--the Chronicle (circulation 4,500) and Michigan History magazine (circulation 25,000)--develop new authors and article content focusing on the heritage of Michigan's minorities. To recruit at least five new people of color to serve as Society board members. The Kellogg grant monies will also enable the Society to establish a position--Assistant Director for Diversity and Outreach--to implement these new and enhanced activities, as well as hire an Education and Conference Coordinator to support the grant's objectives. "As the state's official historical society, we are in a unique position to lead by example," noted Wagenaar. "I hope that other organizations will join us in developing their own plans of action to ensure that the record of our past and the narrative we share incorporates many perspectives and everyone's story." The Historical Society of Michigan is the state's oldest cultural organization. Founded in 1828 by Lewis Cass and Henry Schoolcraft, it is an independent nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Michigan's historical story. For further information on the Society, please visit www.hsmichigan.org . The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. For further information on the foundation, please visit www.wkkf.org Published: Mon, Oct 24, 2011

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