You'll never again wonder if the humanities matter

Inside & Out was shaped by the spirit of humanities councils’ original founding mandate: to ensure the humanities are accessible to all individuals, regardless of their background or where they live, because our democracy demands the “wisdom and vision" the humanities uniquely provide. 

The convening, planned by more than 13 councils and their community partners over 18 months, centered the voices and experiences of people directly impacted by mass incarceration. The resulting gathering welcomed nearly 200 people from Puerto Rico to Hawaii, Maine to Minnesota, and 20 other places in between. Every attendee wore more than one hat: program facilitators, educators, executive directors, board members, people who were formerly incarcerated, policy specialists, artists, writers, former prison guards, and funders. All shared an abiding passion for the chance to be in conversation with one another. 

Inside & Out was a “working convening” not a "conference.” Our aim was not to arrive at a particular conclusion, convince anyone, or position a facilitator, presenter, or performer as the keeper of knowledge. Instead, we strove to create supportive and inclusive spaces that could create the possibility of connection among participants, support curiosity and skill sharing, and to deepen our understanding of what councils can do (and already do) as partners.

The three-day gathering was bolstered by media installations. For example, Art from the Inside Out was carried in a van from Minnesota to Chicago to ensure participants could experience visual art from ten artists who are currently or formerly incarcerated. We also set up a zine station with paper, markers, glue, scissors, and prompts related to our gathering. "Come for some creative downtime or to share your thoughts." We structured homerooms for protected time to ensure people could breathe, reflect, share, and create. 

None of us were able to attend all of the sessions, but you didn't need to attend all of them to understand two critically important things: 1) although the local political contexts for our work are complex and diverse, the dehumanizing impacts of the carceral system are consistent and 2) the humanities make a difference. When we put them to work, the humanities humanize.