The Window
News from the National Humanities Center
Issue 1, Vol 3
Message From the President and Director
Dear Friends,
On Thursday, March 19th, 2026, the Center held a celebration in honor of my installation as the seventh president and director of the Center.
Needless to say, this was a very humbling experience, but it was also an opportunity to showcase the work of the Center along with some of the amazing scholars, educators, and emerging humanities leaders that we support.
In my address (included here), I spoke to how I hope to meet this moment in the Center's history—in our nation's history.
Even more importantly, this occasion highlights the truth that we must meet this moment together. We must do so with clarity and conviction so that we, as a community, can build spaces where the humanities are not only cherished but where they can thrive.
Blair LM Kelley, President and Director
National Humanities Center
The Installation of Blair LM Kelley, Seventh President and Director of the NHC
“This is my charge…to meet this moment with endurance, with skill, with courage, to model the willingness to carry those stories forward for us all... We will build a haven, a refuge, a community, to make space for remembrance. We will demand our rights, we will call for recognition, we will build a space, a place, an inheritance of meaning.”
Voices from the NHC Community
The installation celebration featured a series of panels highlighting the ways scholars, educators, and the next generation of humanists are responding to the challenges they face.
NHC Fellows Panel (from left to right): Kathleen DuVal (NHC Fellow, 2008–09; 2025–26), Belle Boggs (NHC Fellow, 2024–25), Richard J. Powell (NHC Fellow, 1995–96; 2023–24); moderator: Martha Kelly, Vice President for Scholarly Programs (NHC Fellow, 2022–23)
NHC Fellows Panel (from left to right): Kathleen DuVal (NHC Fellow, 2008–09; 2025–26), Belle Boggs (NHC Fellow, 2024–25), Richard J. Powell (NHC Fellow, 1995–96; 2023–24); moderator: Martha Kelly, Vice President for Scholarly Programs (NHC Fellow, 2022–23)
NHC Emerging Scholars Panel (from left to right): Pablo Ávila (University of Memphis), Madalyn Hutchinson (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Trisha Santanam (Duke University); moderator: Jacqueline Kellish, Vice President for Public Engagement
NHC Emerging Scholars Panel (from left to right): Pablo Ávila (University of Memphis), Madalyn Hutchinson (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Trisha Santanam (Duke University); moderator: Jacqueline Kellish, Vice President for Public Engagement
Ben Vinson III (NHC Trustee; Inaugural Presidential Scholar in Residence; NHC Fellow, 2005–06) delivers introductory remarks for installation panels
Ben Vinson III (NHC Trustee; Inaugural Presidential Scholar in Residence; NHC Fellow, 2005–06) delivers introductory remarks for installation panels
NHC Educators Panel (from left to right): Matt Hicks (Kansas City, MO), Valencia Abbott (Wentworth, NC), Thamar Lebrón Fernández (Charlotte, NC); moderator: Mike Williams, Vice President for Education Programs
NHC Educators Panel (from left to right): Matt Hicks (Kansas City, MO), Valencia Abbott (Wentworth, NC), Thamar Lebrón Fernández (Charlotte, NC); moderator: Mike Williams, Vice President for Education Programs
Watch the Panels Here
Featured Research: Suffering, Narrative, and the Public Sphere
Why does involuntary servitude persist in the United States? How might we challenge emergent and long-standing antivaccination sentiments? What can we learn from the experiences of exploited migrant workers? This month, we highlight the research of 2025–26 Fellows whose projects examine how our methods to characterize and tell stories about human rights and public policy issues impact our opinions.
Karin L. Zipf
Project: “Field Ghosts: The Vanishing American Farmworker and the New Slavery”
Mireya Loza
Project: “A Century of Guest Workers: Exploitation and Inequality on American Farms”
News from the NHC Community
The National Humanities Center Announces Incoming Class of Select Summer Residents
The National Humanities Center (NHC) is pleased to announce the appointment of 40 scholars for the 2026 Select Summer Residency Program, marking the first time NHC summer residents have undergone a competitive application process. These leading humanists will come to the Center from universities and colleges in 19 US states and India. They represent a variety of public research institutions, private universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and liberal arts colleges.
Tressie McMillan Cottom (NHC Fellow, 2025–26) was recently in conversation with Resident Associate Cotten Seiler (2025–26) about his new book, White Care: The Impact of Race on American Infrastructure.
Johan Elverskog (NHC Fellow, 2021–22) was recently awarded the 2026 Joseph Levinson Prize (China, pre-1900) for his 2024 book, A History of Uyghur Buddhism.
Sonia Hazard (NHC Fellow, 2024–25) was recently featured on the popular The 99 Page Test blog for her 2025 book, Empire of Print: Evangelical Power in the Age of Mass Media.
Martha S. Jones (NHC Fellow, 2013–14) recently co-authored an amicus brief in favor of universal birthright citizenship for the Supreme Court case Trump v. Barbara.
Katherine Preston (NHC Fellow, 2009–10) received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of American Music in recognition of her significant lifetime contributions to American Music.
Keith Richotte, Jr. (NHC Fellow, 2022–23) recently received the PROSE Awards for Excellence in Social Studies and in the subcategory of Legal Studies and Criminology.
NHC Education Opportunities
Your support helps advance research, teaching, and public appreciation for the humanities.
Please consider making a gift to the National Humanities Center.
The Window Newsletter
This email was sent because of your affiliation with the National Humanities Center, or because you signed up for our newsletter.
Have concerns or news to share? Please send them to us at nhc-news@nationalhumanitiescenter.org
Subscribe | View In Browser
© 2026 National Humanities Center | 7 T. W. Alexander Drive | Durham, NC 27713 | nationalhumanitiescenter.org
Copyright Infringement | Privacy Notice
Built with Shorthand