When California Humanities launched Connecting California, we asked a simple but urgent question: How can we help Californians come together across differences?
The answers are emerging in communities throughout the state.
Our first round of grantees is bringing people together through storytelling workshops, intergenerational conversations, public art, guided walks, writing circles, community discussions, and cultural exchange. Their projects remind us that connection often begins with a simple invitation to listen, share, and create together.
As Amanda Roper of Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages shared, their project explores stories of “immigration, belonging, pride, and resilience” while helping communities learn from a shared past. In Inglewood, Coloured Art Studio is creating a community mural that founder Kayla Salisbury Glaspie describes as “a moment of togetherness” and a chance to leave “your love letter, your story and a piece of you” in a city that continues to evolve.
For applicants considering applying to Round 3 of Connecting California, we are especially interested in projects that create opportunities for participants to experience the “productive friction” that can surface through deep dialogue and then emerge with new understanding and meaningful connection. We are looking to support thoughtful activities that invite people to reflect together, engage across differences, and strengthen trust, empathy, and a sense of belonging.
We believe that bringing Californians together to actively participate in the humanities—whether through storytelling, history-sharing, cultural exchange, or public conversation—will foster more creative imaginings of a better shared future.
