Cuts to Humanities Texas to affect Permian Basin communities
May 9—On April 2, Humanities Texas was notified that its federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) had been terminated, effective immediately.
For over 50 years, Humanities Texas programs have improved classroom teaching, supported libraries and museums, and created opportunities for lifelong learning across the state, a news release said.
The loss of federal funding — approximately 65% of the organization's annual budget — will have a devastating effect on Texas communities, the release said.
Over 140 teachers from 55 schools in the Permian Basin region have participated in Humanities Texas's free professional development programs.
Humanities Texas has awarded 122 grants to 60 area organizations, and the council's traveling exhibitions have been displayed 133 times at 38 local venues. Recent grantees and venues include the Museum of the Southwest, Midland Historical Society, Ector County Library, the Heritage Museum of Big Spring, and Sul Ross State University.
Permian Basin organizations have also served as partners for Humanities Texas's Texas Storytime family reading program, local teacher professional development programs, grants workshops, and film screenings.
These programs contribute to Texas's thriving economy, culture, and civic life and create opportunities for the connection and meaningful conversation that representative democracy demands.
"The support and guidance provided by Humanities Texas has been extremely important to our museum, community, and region," Christine Holcomb, executive director of the Historic White-Pool House in Odessa, said in the release. "Our legacy and authenticity are at great risk on a daily basis. Through Humanities Texas's teamwork, we have been able to preserve and promote that which gives us our distinctive culture."
"We are basically an underserved region of Texas," Holcomb continued. "Cuts to funding demonstrate a misunderstanding of the importance of our collective history. Once history is lost, it cannot be fully restored. Being able to visit and participate in our history is a gift and immeasurable way to connect the generations."
Like its fellow state humanities councils, Humanities Texas pursues its mission as a public-private partnership, leveraging federal dollars with state and private funding. Without NEH support, Humanities Texas loses the operating grant that not only supports its service to Texans statewide but also catalyzes local investment from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Everyday Americans will feel this loss. Those most negatively impacted will be citizens in rural communities, veterans, seniors, families with young children, students, and teachers, the release said.
"Without federal support," said Executive Director Eric Lupfer, "we will be forced to make significant cuts to programs that promote local heritage and history and strengthen the capacity of grassroots cultural and educational organizations."
To learn how you can help protect the state humanities councils, visit the Humanities Texas website at www.humanitiestexas.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Canadian fire smoke threatens air quality in Canada, US as it reaches Europe
Parts of Canada and the US received alerts for hazardous air quality as hundreds of wildfires spread throughout Canada, forcing 26,000 people to evacuate and spewing smoke across the Atlantic in Canada's latest extreme weather event. Canada's wildfires, which have already forced evacuations of more than 26,000 people, continued their stubborn spread Tuesday, with heavy smoke choking millions of Canadians and Americans and reaching as far away as Europe. Alerts were issued for parts of Canada and the neighboring United States warning of hazardous air quality. A water tanker air base was consumed by flames in Saskatchewan province, oil production has been disrupted in Alberta, and officials warned of worse to come with more communities threatened each day. "We have some challenging days ahead of us," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference, adding that the number of evacuees could rise quickly. Every summer, Canada grapples with forest fires, but an early start to the wildfire season this year and the scale of the blazes -- over two million hectares (494,000 acres) burned -- is worrying. Read moreClimate change made LA wildfires worse, says study The provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been hardest hit. Both declared wildfire emergencies in recent days. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:South Korea firefighters deploy helicopters as country's largest wildfires reigniteWildfire on remote French island threatens wildlife and research station
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump official who shut down counter-disinformation agency has Kremlin ties, Telegraph reports
A Trump official who dismantled a counter-disinformation office in the United States government has links to the Kremlin, the Telegraph reported on June 3. Darren Beattie, who was appointed to the State Department in February 2025 as under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, has come under scrutiny for his pro-Russian views. According to the Telegraph, Beattie is married to a Russian woman with links to the Kremlin. His wife – Yulia Kirillova – is the niece of Sergei Chernikov, a former Russian official who reportedly helped Russian President Vladimir Putin in the election campaign which first brought him to power in 2000. Beattie notably played a role in dismantling the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, or R/FIMI, which was previously tasked with tracking and countering disinformation from Russia, China, and Iran. R/FIMI was officially shut down in April 2025, according to a press statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that the office "spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving." According to sources cited by the Telegraph, Beattie relentlessly pursued R/FIMI after his appointment to the State Department. Secretary Rubio confirmed that Beattie played a significant role in dismantling the agency. Beattie also showed a keen interest in classified materials related to Russia, raising concerns about granting him access to sensitive information. The sources also expressed concerns about whether he had been adequately vetted – a process that can take anywhere from a couple of months to over a year to complete. Beattie previously served in the first Trump administration but was ousted after allegedly attending a white nationalist conference in 2018. Since then, he reinvented himself as an "alt-right media" figure and founded the news outlet Revolver. Through Revolver, Beattie has long criticized R/FIMI and promoted narratives aligned with Kremlin disinformation. He has argued that the U.S. orchestrates "color revolutions" around the world, including in Ukraine – a common narrative used in Kremlin propaganda to delegitimize pro-democracy movements as Western-backed coups. Beattie has also written social media posts suggesting that Western institutions should be "infiltrated" by the Kremlin, and has attacked the so-called "globalist American empire." Two months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Beattie wrote on X: "Imagine the whining from the Globalist American Empire if Putin 'invades' Ukraine... love it when our national security bureaucrats fail!" The Trump administration has repeatedly come under fire for its perceived sympathies toward Russia. It has also been criticized for shuttering R/FIMI, particularly amidst a global "information war." According to the National Endowment for Democracy, Russia spends an estimated $1.5 billion annually on disinformation and foreign influence campaigns. In Europe alone, the Kremlin is believed to be behind 80% of disinformation operations. Read also: US House Speaker Johnson backs Senate bill to toughen sanctions on Russia We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Army hits recruiting goal four months ahead of schedule
The Army has hit its annual recruiting goal of 61,000 new active duty soldiers, four months ahead of the end of fiscal 2025 in September, the service announced Tuesday. The Army said the goal – 10 percent higher than the 55,000 recruits it sought last year – 'represents a significant turning point for the Army and indicates a renewed sense of patriotism and purpose among America's youth,' according to a statement. The surge in new potential troops comes as the Army has significantly ramped up its recruiting efforts over the past several years in response to its struggle with number shortfalls over the past decade. That outreach included loosening certain rules and restrictions to target young Americans who historically have been unqualified to serve due to tattoos, prior medical conditions or drug use. In 2023, the Army fell about 11,000 people short of its 65,000-person goal but rebounded in 2024 to meet its goal of 55,000, though just barely. The U.S. military as a whole struggled to entice young people to serve in the midst of and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as during periods of low unemployment across the country and the emergence of more attractive job opportunities within the private sector. It is unclear exactly why the uptick in enlistments occurred after the service struggled to meet its goals across the finish line last year, but the Trump administration has insisted that the recruiting momentum is a sign of renewed excitement to serve following the presidential election. 'I want to thank the commander in chief, President Trump, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth for their decisive leadership and support in equipping, training and supporting these future Soldiers as they face a world of global uncertainty and complex threats,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in the statement. 'Putting Soldiers first is having a tangible impact and shows that young people across our country want to be part of the most lethal land fighting force the world has ever seen.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
