In this edition of Humanities in Action we are exploring projects that centered community-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-making intentionally prioritizes interpersonal connections while building sustainable infrastructures; examples in the public humanities include neighborhood events, cultural festivals, storytelling, archiving, commemoration, and more.

We chose to highlight the Providence Public Library’s oral history archive Queer Stories Project and the African Alliance of Rhode Island’s documentary film The Seed Keepers: Sustaining Ethnic Food Traditions in a New Land. Both of these projects took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and were forced to evolve to meet safety requirements during a period of quarantine. Though their logistics shifted because of the need for social distancing, project leaders found ways to make connections among community members. 

Read more about this month’s featured projects focused on community-making below and follow the series on social media as well @rihumanities on Instagram and Facebook.

Queer Stories Project by Providence Public Library

In 2021, the Providence Public Library received a RI Humanities mini grant to support the expansion of the oral history collection of the Queer Stories Project. The project originally began in 2019 when scholar Virginia Thomas received a mini grant for the collection. Eventually, Virginia Thomas partnered with PPL and remained involved as the project director  

This project took place during COVID-19 restrictions which resulted in the postponement of a public listening party of the collection. Despite restrictions, a series of interviews were still conducted focusing on the oral histories of civil rights and public health advocacy, organizing for marriage equality, raising awareness for HIV/AIDS, creating opportunities for gender expression through drag, and more.

The youth interviewers left the project feeling that they learned more about LGBTQ+ history, and the adult interviewees felt encouraged to share their stories with the next generation. With support from this grant, four additional interviews of RI LGBTQ+ community members were added to the collection, where they are available to the public as audio recordings and transcriptions. 

Explore the Queer Stories Project oral history collection on the PPL website or on the Queer Stories Project website. 

The Seed Keepers: Sustaining Ethnic Food Traditions in a New Land by the African Alliance of Rhode Island

With the help of a major grant from RI Humanities in 2020, the African Alliance of Rhode Island (AARI) planned to produce a short film documenting the expansion of their Pop Up Farmers Markets. Intending to combine fresh, diverse produce from immigrant-owned farms in the Smith Hill neighborhood of Providence, AARI used this grant to develop a planning committee to maximize their impact. Quickly a pandemic-induced pivot was required. Despite this major disruption, AARI adapted, continuing forward with new, safe, versions of their markets. Though some components had to change, like eliminating food tastings, the markets were still successful in their mission; in the words of Market Planning Committee member Althea Graves (quoted in the film at 20:04), the farmers brought “their homeland into [our] house.”     

The 50-minute documentary film, Seeding Community In The Time Of COVID, showcases not only how the project changed, but how the AARI and local farmers brought communities together during an unprecedented time of isolation. 

Watch Seeding Community In The Time Of COVID here.

—–

This monthly Humanities in Action series is curated by Julia Aguiar, Grants and Humanities Initiatives Coordinator, & Isabella Robinson, Development and Engagement Coordinator.