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Funds available for community conversations about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “The Quest for Peace and Justice”

Nonprofits are invited to apply for funds to host a community conversation centered on themes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “The Quest for Peace…

Nonprofits are invited to apply for funds to host a community conversation centered on themes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “The Quest for Peace and Justice.” Indiana Humanities is offering $100 stipends and a discussion toolkit for this important and thought-provoking speech in honor of the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

When he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King compared the world’s technological progress—the dawn of computers, the launch of the first man into orbit, telecommunications that could shrink the globe—with the slow and difficult pace of social change. He also describes how exciting scientific and technological innovations cannot be fully understood without the humanities.

The Quest: A Discussion Program was created by Indiana Humanities to help communities discuss these ideas and the progress we have, or haven’t, made since Dr. King’s time. Anyone can download and use the free discussion guide, which includes an excerpt of the speech, a set of questions to guide the conversation, tips on finding a great facilitator and leading a meaningful discussion, and more. Tax-exempt organizations such as libraries, schools, community centers and museums are eligible to receive a stipend of $100 if they host a public or school-based discussion in 2018. (In lieu of a stipend, teachers or other school-based personnel will receive a $100 gift card to use for books and supplies for their classrooms.) Stipends will be awarded on a rolling basis and awarded to communities based on geography and the criteria outlined in the application.

“This particular speech might not be as famous as his other speeches, but it contains ideas—insights and stories, words of caution and hopefulness—that are just as relevant now as they were in his own time,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “We hope this discussion series sparks important conversations about technology, morality and peace among Hoosiers all across the state.”

This discussion program is part of Indiana Humanities’ Quantum Leap initiative, which explores the connections between the humanities and the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

For more information on the program, visit www.IndianaHumanities.org/TheQuest.