Oakland, CA, February 5, 2026 – California Humanities is proud to announce its participation in By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a nationwide initiative led by the Federation of State Humanities Councils in partnership with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The initiative brings together humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia to explore 250 years of the nation’s cultural life—and to imagine a shared future shaped by community voices.
As part of this national effort, California Humanities will launch Reclaiming Our Stories, a six-part, Indigenous-led podcast series centering California Native voices to explore history, culture, and contemporary life across the state. As the country approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the series broadens public understanding by foregrounding Indigenous perspectives that have long been excluded from dominant historical narratives.
Through intergenerational conversations, artistic interludes, and place-based reflection, Reclaiming Our Stories highlights the lived experiences and cultural continuity of Native peoples across California—home to more than 200 tribes. The series follows a six-part narrative arc—Owning Our Narrative → Telling the Truth in Our Own Voice → We Decide Our Future—moving across past, present, and future to emphasize lived experience, cultural knowledge, and continuity rather than a single historical timeline.
Episodes explore Indigenous relationships to land and community, storytelling and representation, rural and urban Native life, the impact of law and policy, and future-oriented creativity and cultural resilience. Each episode brings together elders, youth, artists, educators, and community leaders, alongside poetry, sound, and reflection. The series will launch this spring with weekly episodes and culminate in an early summer live episode and community gathering.
“As the nation reflects on 250 years, Reclaiming Our Stories reminds us that we should celebrate time in the past, the present, and the future,” said Rick Noguchi, President and CEO of California Humanities. “Through Indigenous-led storytelling, this series invites Californians to engage more openly with our shared past and to imagine a future grounded in respect, connection, and belonging.”
All humanities councils were invited to participate in By the People, and fifty-one councils—including those from the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories—will host local programs designed to foster intergenerational dialogue and uplift culture bearers. These include musicians, artists, performers, poets, craftspeople, workers, cooks, storytellers, and others exploring the themes of remembering together, harmonizing together, moving together, and building together.
“This partnership amplifies voices from communities nationwide and the cultural practices that define them,” said Phoebe Stein, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. “It’s a celebration of the humanities as a living, breathing force—one that brings people together to listen, learn, and create.”
Each program will be locally produced by a humanities council with community partners and featured on a multimedia story map created by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Content related to the initiative will be released throughout 2026 across Smithsonian media platforms, including articles, short documentaries, and podcasts.
“As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, By the People invites communities to celebrate their stories and imagine a shared future grounded in creativity and cultural understanding,” says Halle Butvin, director of special projects at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “With voices from every corner of the country, the initiative serves our mission by illuminating what it means to belong to each other, to history, and to the possibilities ahead.”
Learn more about By the People on the Center’s website(https://festival.si.edu/) or on the Federation’s website at www.statehumanities.org/bythepeople/
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About California Humanities
California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, connects Californians to ideas and one another to better understand our shared heritage and the many cultures that shape our state. For 50 years, our grants and programs have fostered connection, community, and learning through storytelling, dialogue, and the arts.
To learn more, visit calhum.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
About the Federation of State Humanities Councils
Founded in 1977, the Federation of State Humanities Councils (Federation) is the membership organization of the 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils. The Federation supports, connects, and amplifies the work and voices of our members, demonstrating councils’ value for communities and their collective impact on civic health and cultural vibrancy. The Federation envisions a fully resourced, inclusive, and thriving humanities council network. Learn more about the Federation and its member councils at statehumanities.org.
About the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
The Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage promotes greater understanding and sustainability of cultural heritage across the United States and around the world through research, education, and community engagement. The center is a research and educational unit of the Smithsonian that produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the Cultural Vitality Program, the online Folklife Magazine, exhibitions, symposia, publications, and educational materials. It also maintains the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Learn more at festival.si.edu.
