Winners have been announced for this year’s Michigan Humanities Awards. Recipients hail from areas like Flint, Vandalia and Grand Rapids. Michigan Humanities sifted through nominations from all across the state, landing on a select and special few who it feels best represent humanities work.
"We are very pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Michigan Humanities Awards. These individuals and organizations are more than deserving of their awards and are doing such wonderful humanities work around Michigan,” said Shelly Hendrick Kasprzycki, President & CEO of Michigan Humanities.
Grand Rapids own The Diatribe was announced as one of two Community Impact Partners of the year 2020. The organization is led by a group of nontraditional teaching artists, facilitating after school programs, assemblies and creative writing workshops rooted in poetry, with a goal of empowering students to tackle large societal issues such as fair housing, toxic masculinity and racism, while also providing space to process mental health, identity, grief and loss.
“The Diatribe has an exceptional ability to touch people. They remain empathetic, compassionate and fueled with the fire of change," Michigan Humanities said, "They’re constantly evolving finding the best way to reach more children and more people in oppressed situations with an incredible drive to make the world a better place.”
Other awards recipients include the following:
Outstanding Humanities Organization - Underground Railroad Society of Cass County
Humanities Champion of the Year - Dr. Thomas Henthorn, Flint
Community Impact Partner of the Year - Communities First, Inc., Flint
Winners were selected by a panel of current and former Michigan Humanities board members and staff, as well as Humanities professionals.
