The Schwartz Prize is given annually to outstanding work in the public humanities. Throughout its 25 year history, the Schwartz prize nominees and winners have provided an insightful nationwide snapshot of Humanities Council priorities and achievements. Sixteen entries were submitted this year, representing the most exemplary public humanities programming initiatives in the United States and its territories.

The 2009 winning state humanities councils are found in California, Montana and Virginia. California’s “Youth Digital Filmmakers” project engaged young people in making films about social, economic and ethnic diversity issues within their communities. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities engaged eight state-recognized Native American tribes to create a range of programs to institutionalize and address the valuable and under acknowledged contributions of Native Americans to the state history of Virginia. Humanities Montana was commended for its imaginative and rich model of civic engagement programming that brought together citizens for civil dialogue and civic engagement over critical matters facing their communities and the state, such as intense conflicts over land use, water rights and other contentious matters.

Mills-Bocachica observes that several components of the winning entries appear in this year’s Virgin Islands Humanities Council program initiative, “Building Community, Celebrating Diversity.” This year-long, multi-component initiative in honor of the Council’s 25th year anniversary has initiated partnerships with cultural organizations within the territory as the council seeks to reach citizens and engage Virgin Islanders in exchanges on matters that have had the potential to otherwise divide the citizenry. The season will culminate with speaking engagements by writers who have written extensively on the immigrant experiences by Palestinian and Haitian populations. The cultural showcase in May will feature performances by diverse V.I. cultural groups at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. Newly appointed National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Jim Leach and key NEH staff members also participated in conference activities. After a far-reaching lobbying effort, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, which is responsible for public humanities programming initiatives in partnership with the NEH, will receive the largest budget increase in the councils’ history due to its far-reaching initiatives.

Leach also announced his proposed “Bridging Cultures” initiative. As a member of the Federation Board of Directors, Mills-Bocachica participated in sessions with the NEH chair, where she drew his attention on local responses to Senator James’ recent journey to Cuba, the Federation of Caribbean Architects regional biennial meeting in Cuba, and the challenges and opportunities of crossing bridges, including geographical, regional and cultural ones. She also discussed the challenges of managing cultural diversity within the limited island boundaries of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In anticipation of upcoming council initiatives, V.I. Humanities Council Board members Alscess Lewis-Brown, Elaine Jacobs, Percival Edwards, Mills-Bocachica and Executive Director Mabel Maduro participated in state-of- the-art conference sessions; site visits and workshops on storytelling and civic reflection; culture, philanthropy and urban revitalization; engaging environmental topics through the humanities; and teachable opportunities offered by the U.S. Civil War Sesquintennial. Mills-Bocachica’s travel was funded by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.