Human Rights

NEH Awards $500,000 Challenge Grant to Preserve a Detroit Icon

DETROIT, March 6, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The birthplace of the Model T and one of the oldest surviving automotive factories in the world, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan, has turned 120 years old. Henry Ford constructed this long, narrow, wood and brick building to provide maximum light and air for his workers between 1904 and 1910. It is where Ford developed the car that put the world on wheels.  

As the factory celebrates its birthday milestone, on the heels of the 115^th anniversary of the 1908 Model T, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the museum a $500,000 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant. This federal grant will match one dollar for every three dollars raised by the museum in support of crucial infrastructure projects and increased accessibility for the many thousands of visitors who tour the historic structure each year. 

Today, Piquette is a U. S. National Historic Landmark and nonprofit museum open year-round to the public. Through photographs, film, exhibits, original artifacts, and more than 65 rare vehicles, the museum brings to life the industrial, cultural, and social history of the City of Detroit just after the turn of the century. Saved by community volunteers in 2000, the building is miraculously preserved, offering an unparalleled place to explore early automotive history. It is an iconic tourist attraction in the place known worldwide as The Motor City. 

Despite significant repairs to the building over prior decades, however, the site is endangered, and volunteers are racing to install modern infrastructure that will protect it, and its rare vehicle collections, for generations to come.   

“Support from the NEH underscores the national significance of the Piquette Plant in American industrial history,” said Jill Woodward, President & Chief Operating Officer of the museum. “This is where Detroit’s origin story as The Motor City begins, right here in our Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, where Ford, Dodge, Cadillac, Detroit Electric and dozens of other automakers and auto suppliers were all operating. We hope community appreciation for our national automotive heritage will help us raise the funds needed to match the NEH challenge.”

The museum is currently tackling an estimated $10 million in capital needs including addressing cloth-covered wiring dating back to 1926, an inoperable fire-suppression system, a 98-year-old elevator, 120-year-old plumbing, and no heating or cooling throughout most of the museum. 

“Our greatest artifact is the building itself,” says Woodward. “Visitors from all over the world are amazed to experience the history of this place with its original patina intact.” The museum has engaged Detroit-based architectural firm Albert Kahn Associates to design the enhancements to the building. This partnership is fitting since the legendary late architect and founder of the firm, Albert Kahn, collaborated with Henry Ford to revolutionize the field of industrial architecture. 

The first affordable, mass-produced car for everyday people, the Model T sparked a worldwide transformation in manufacturing, transportation, and urban planning, as well as social and cultural trends such as The Great Migration and the population shift from farms to cities. By the early 1920s, every other car on the plant was a Model T. This car was in continuous production for nearly 19 years and more than 15 million were made. Visitors to the Piquette Plant today can stand in Mr. Ford’s secret Experimental Room, in the exact spot where the first Model T was conceived and built. 

Matching donations to support the "Preserving the Legend" fund at the  Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum can be made online at www.fordpiquetteplant.org. For more information, contact [email protected] or call (313) 872-8759. 

Contact Information:
Jill Woodward
President & COO
[email protected]
313-530-8269


Original Source: The Birthplace of the Model T: Henry Ford's Piquette Plant Celebrates 120 Years

Richard Siken Joins JackLeg as a New Editorial Advisor WASHINGTON, January 10, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Richard Siken joins JackLeg Press as a new Editori...

Angeline Pompei’s app is a wonderful opportunity for Spanish speakers to start the new year and learn written and conversational English through music, bilingual books, and videos. ...

On the Bicentennial of Famous Christmas Poem, a New Book Challenges Claim That a Poughkeepsie Farmer, Not Clement C. Moore, Was the Author

ASHEVILLE, N.C., December 13, 2023 (Newswire.com) - In "The Fight for The Night; Resolving the Dispute Over Authorship of 'The Night Before Christmas,'” author Tom A. Jerman, citing historical, biographical, stylistic and stylometric evidence of authorship, addresses the claim that a Poughkeepsie farmer, Henry Livingston, Jr., wrote America's favorite poem rather than Clement C. Moore, the wealthy, erudite, New York seminary professor who has been consistently credited with authorship for almost 200 years. The poem, which marks its bicentennial this year, was originally published anonymously on December 23, 1823, in The Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel under the title “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” and Moore claimed authorship in 1836. In 2000, however, Don Foster, a Vassar College English professor and self-proclaimed “literary detective,” asserted in his book, Author Unknown, that the real author was Livingston, who purportedly read the poem to his family in 1808. 

The upshot of Foster’s book and a similar treatise by New Zealand professor MacDonald P. Jackson in 2016 was that the media and some scholars began to describe the authorship of “The Night Before Christmas” as an open question. In "The Fight for The Night," Jerman explains how the poem’s reliance on an 1821 children's book, The Children’s Friend, that tells the story of “Santeclaus” delivering presents on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer precludes any claim that Livingston wrote the poem between 1800 and 1808. 

About the Author

Tom A. Jerman is the author of Santa Claus Worldwide: A History of St. Nicholas and Other Holiday Gift-Bringers (2020), a book that has been called the “definitive history” of Santa Claus. He holds degrees in philosophy (B.S.), journalism (B.S.) and law (J.D.), and practiced law for 35 years with two international law firms before retiring in 2015 to document the history of Santa. Jerman’s interest in Santa Claus dates from 1985, when he began collecting Santa Claus figurines and ornaments—a collection that now numbers some 4,500 pieces.

Contact Information:
Tom Jerman
author
[email protected]
1 (301) 266-5605


Original Source: Santa Author Addresses Who Wrote 'The Night Before Christmas'

PHOENIX, December 1, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The namesake organization founded by the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court is mourning the loss of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

“No words can describe the profound loss of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The organization she founded remains resolute and will redouble our efforts to continue her lifetime work and extraordinary legacy,” said Gay Firestone Wray, Board of Directors Co-Chair.

The Institute will carry on its mission to further the distinguished legacy and lifetime work of Justice O’Connor to advance American democracy through civil discourse, civic engagement, and civics education.

“From our organization’s founding in 2009 following her retirement from the Supreme Court, Justice O’Connor led our organization with vision and intellect, and she exemplified our nation’s ideals,” said Sarah Suggs, President and CEO. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to continue her work and dedication to our great nation.”

Sandra Day was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas. She spent much of her younger years on her family’s 160,000-acre Lazy B ranch on the Arizona-New Mexico border. At 16 she went to Stanford University for college, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in economics. She stayed for law school. Day graduated and, six months later, married John O’Connor, the love of her life. They eventually moved to Phoenix, where Sandra Day O’Connor began her rapid professional rise, which included holding positions as assistant attorney general of Arizona, majority leader of the Arizona State Senate, and judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals. She also found time to raise three sons—Scott, Brian, and Jay—and make every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

On August 19, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court; on September 21 she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 99-0.  

Her career on the Court was historic. Justice O’Connor will be remembered not only for being the first female on the Court, or for her clear-eyed judicial reasoning and writings and major decisions, but also for her insistence on civility, her penchant for bringing people together to solve problems, whether in Washington, D.C. or over tacos and beer in her Arizona dining room.

“She overcame obstacles with quiet skill and determination and, in the process, inspired and continues to inspire countless others,” said Institute Board of Directors Co-Chair Matt Feeney.

We will miss you, Justice O’Connor.  

About the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy
Founded in 2009 by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the O’Connor Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3), continues her distinguished legacy and lifetime work to advance American democracy through multigenerational civil discourse, civic engagement and civics education. Visit www.OConnorInstitute.org for more information.

Contact Information:
Heather Schader
COO
[email protected]
602-730-3300 x8


Original Source: Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Mourns Passing of Founder

Since 2015, the city has showcased itself with the “Nanjing Week” in various cities and regions, such as Milan, London, New York, Paris and San Francisco, introducing the finest of Chinese arts that Nanjing represents to people around the world.

NEW YORK, November 13, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The 2023 "Nanjing Week" Promotion Conference was successfully held in New York City on Nov 7. after a lapse of six years, connecting two cities of thousands of miles apart and injecting new vitality into cultural exchanges between China and the United States, according to the event host Nanjing Municipal People’s Government.

"Nanjing Week" promotion event hails "Nanjing going global" and has been held for eight consecutive years since 2015, and it was held in New York and Boston from Nov 6^th to 12^th. This event, through a series of activities of Nanjing city promotion conference, "See Nanjing" cultural theme art exhibition, and Global Smile Relay, aims to build a bridge of friendly exchanges between Chinese and American cities and promote people-to-people ties between China and the United States.

The promotion event received a certificate of honor from the New York Mayor's Office. Huang Ping, Chinese Consul General in New York, Peng Zhengang, Director of the Nanjing municipal Information Office, Winnie Greco, Special Advisor to the New York Mayor and Director of Asia Affairs, Alton Murray, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and other guests from New York and Nanjing  attended the event.

Huang Ping said in his speech that if you want to understand Chinese history, you must visit Nanjing. “We should build more trust and cooperate in new areas by holding more events like Nanjing Week,” said Huang.

Peng Zhengang extended his invitation to the guests: “Nanjing is a modern city with green development. It is also a famous historical city with profound heritage. It is also a cultural city with prosperous science and education.”

Alton Murray said that “I am very happy to have so many representatives from Nanjing come together with us. I want to have more exchanges with you, learn more about China, and establish deeper cooperation based on mutual appreciation.”

The Conference launched a series of themed activities on "Nanjing and Me" in the fields of international cooperation, youth culture, and urban innovation. The promotion meeting also set up art exhibitions related to cultural tourism and urban design in Nanjing and New York to jointly interpret the aesthetics of urban life.

Since 2015, the city has showcased itself with the “Nanjing Week” in various cities and regions, such as Milan, London, New York, Paris and San Francisco, introducing the finest of Chinese arts that Nanjing represents to people around the world.

Contact Information:
Grace Shi
PR
[email protected]
6465712146


Original Source: 'Nanjing Week' Unveils a New Chapter of US-China Culture Exchange in New York

With new details released from the very latest documents, Paul Brandus offers the unique perspective of a veteran member of the White House press corps and presidential historian.

CLEVELAND, October 13, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Excitement builds as the production team at Evergreen Podcasts collaborates with renowned host and author Paul Brandus to transform his new book, Countdown To Dallas, into an accompanying podcast, exploring the history and lore of the John F. Kennedy assassination and surrounding conspiracies.

"You know how people say 'a picture is worth a thousand words'?” Paul Brandus remarks. “Actually, I think the reverse is true: a word is worth a thousand pictures. That's what podcasts can do. I'm proud to team up again with Evergreen. Their team is amazing, and it's always fun when we can make history come alive through vivid storytelling and the use of sound." 

Now, 60 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, veteran White House correspondent Paul Brandus provides us an in-depth look at the seemingly unconnected events that led to that infamous afternoon in Dallas, Texas. Brandus takes us all the way back to 1939 to explore the troubled and broken life of Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, and challenges six decades' worth of conspiracy theories—none of which have been proven.

“It’s an honor to collaborate with Paul Brandus on what is now our fourth podcast venture together,” states Brigid Coyne, Evergreen’s VP of Production. “His thoughtful approach to understanding Lee Harvey Oswald brings a fresh perspective to an extensively covered event. Our hope is that listeners will learn from and enjoy this retrospective look at the events leading up to November 22, 1963, as we approach its sixtieth anniversary."

In 2017 the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) began releasing tens of thousands of pages of documents, most of them from the CIA and FBI. But both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden have cited personnel changes, the pandemic, and concerns of “national security, law enforcement, and foreign affairs” for the continued withholding of thousands more. Six decades after the assassination, it is certainly worth considering what these final documents could contain. 

“History is never static. It is always marching forward, and so I thought the story of this tragic event needed to be updated,” Brandus continues.

With new details released from the very latest documents, Brandus offers the unique perspective of a veteran member of the White House press corps and presidential historian. He offers a unique take on the cultural and political climate of what he calls a “more innocent era” and reveals lesser-known details that debunk long-held - but still unproven - conspiracy theories that continue to hover over the assassination. “Countdown to Dallas” offers a detailed and unique perspective on this history-altering event - a perspective that many Americans today might find eye-opening.

The first episode of the limited podcast series, Countdown To Dallas debuts on October 31. Subscribe now on Evergreen’s website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you find podcasts.

Interested in reading the book first? Countdown To Dallas by Paul Brandus is out now in bookstores near you. Also pick up Paul’s Amazon best-seller, Jackie—a colorful biography of Jacqueline Kennedy in the years between her two marriages—and listen to its companion podcast, From First Lady to Jackie O, which has already received over 100,000 downloads.

For more amazing stories about how false information turns our world inside out, listen to Paul’s podcast, Disinformation. 

Connect with Paul on Twitter/X at WestWingReport or via his LinkedIn profile.

Press inquiries: If you’d like to interview Paul Brandus about his new book, recent books, or podcast, please contact Evergreen Podcasts.

About Evergreen Podcasts

Evergreen Podcasts is an established podcast production network with a catalog of entertaining and thought-provoking shows rooted in high production quality and artistic integrity. With a diverse range of podcasts spanning genres such as true crime, pop culture, comedy, and beyond, Evergreen Podcasts connects listeners with engaging content that informs, entertains, and inspires. For more information, visit evergreenpodcasts.com.

Contact Information:
Samantha Maloy
Director of Marketing
[email protected]


Original Source: Six Seconds, Six Decades: Evergreen Podcasts Prepares to Launch 'Countdown To Dallas' Podcast by Paul Brandus

Community Media Company to Use New Byline Platform for Expert-Written Article Exchanges Contributed Content Connection Contributed Content Connec...

Nine individual locations and two thematic nominations facing substantial threats were named to this year's list.

RICHMOND, Va., May 9, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Each May — National Historic Preservation Month — Preservation Virginia releases a list of historic places across the Commonwealth facing imminent or sustained threats. The list, which has brought attention to 170 sites in Virginia, encourages individuals, organizations, and local and state governments to advocate for their preservation and find solutions that will save these unique locations for future generations.

"Historic places are at the forefront of debates about the environment, affordable housing, and smart growth," said Elizabeth S. Kostelny, Preservation Virginia CEO. "We need to work together to address these issues while preserving locations that still have so much to teach about our collective past and present. Once a historic place is demolished, it's gone forever."

Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places for 2023 are:

• African American Watermen Sites of the Chesapeake Bay

The rural, coastal locations of most watermen communities make them increasingly vulnerable to redevelopment, and recurrent flooding and sea level rise puts many at even more risk.

• Chapman Beverly Mill, Prince William County 

Located in Prince William County's Rural Crescent, this 18th-19th century gristmill was heavily damaged in 1998 by arson. The Turn the Mill Around Campaign began the steps necessary to stabilize the mill and provide public access, but more support is needed.

• Dwellings of the Enslaved, Statewide 

Dwellings of the enslaved embody the history of slavery and its legacies of racism, suffering, and oppression. Once widespread, few examples survive today due to weather, deferred maintenance, insensitive development, and the lack of funding. 

• Last Headquarters of the Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, Hampton

This ca.1925 building served as the last headquarters of the Virginia Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. The site is in need of support so it can be used as a center for educating the public.

• The Town of Potomac Historic District, Alexandria

In recent years approximately 75 contributing buildings in the district were demolished. Creative solutions are needed to provide additional space for homeowners while protecting the district's historic buildings. 

• Willa Cather Birthplace, Frederick County

Famed American fiction writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner Willa Cather was born in an early 19th-century log and frame house. The house, which was recently sold, is in poor condition and needs immediate stabilization.

• Historic High Schools in Virginia Cities including Maury High School in Norfolk, the Moore Street School in Richmond, Thirteen Acres School in Richmond, and the Peabody-Williams School in Petersburg

The four schools listed this year face challenges mainly due to deferred maintenance.     

• Bristoe Station Battlefield 

The Bristoe Station Battlefield Park in western Prince William County is facing new threats from a massive warehouse development proposal. The overall threat of large-scale industrial development to historic battlefields continues to be a challenge in Virginia. 

Contact Information:
Sonja Ingram
Associate Director of Preservation Field Services
[email protected]
434-770-1209

Will Glasco
Director of Development
[email protected]
8043381357
Related Files
Media Release - Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places 2023.docx



Original Source: 2023 List of Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places Announced

DALLAS, April 19, 2023 (Newswire.com) - ASTA-USA Translation Services, Inc., provider of expert translation services in 70 languages, found in a recent ...