The Senate returned last week from August recess and House Members returned yesterday. They will spend September trying to avoid a government shutdown that would occur if they do not pass a continuing resolution by Midnight, September 30. Prior to the August recess, the House Appropriations Committee passed 10 of 12 measures in the full Appropriations Committee, leaving only the Labor, Health and Human Services and Commerce, Justice, and Science measures unresolved. The full House has also passed its FY 2024 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill. Meanwhile, The Senate has made great ..read more

Native-led organizations and Native American artists are receiving a well-deserved increase in public attention, recognition, and support. Mainstream arts organizations and funders are at long last offering significantly more opportunities for Native arts to be seen and heard, and I’m encouraged to see some of the major foundations and the federal cultural agencies demonstrate their leadership in support of Native arts and cultures. As 2022 draws to a close, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the state of Indigenous arts and culture and to celebrate numerous successes for Native American a ..read more

New data from the National Endowment for the Arts, summarized in the research brief “Artists in the Workforce: Selected Demographic Characteristics Prior to COVID‐19,” paints a fuller picture of why women in the dance industry, particularly women of color, were particularly devastated by the pandemic. When combined with Dance Data Project®’s forthcoming Gender Equity Index—which was born out of a necessity to center policies and initiatives that keep and advance women in the arts—these findings call for more intentional support towards women in the dance industry and the performing arts overa ..read more

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández represents New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District. Born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Leger Fernández is a 17th generation Northern New Mexican. As an attorney and advocate, she won important legal battles to advance voting rights, promote tribal sovereignty, and protect the environment and acequia waters. In Congress, she serves on the House Natural Resources, House Education and Labor, and House Administration Committees. She was also elected by her colleagues to serve as Chair of the Committee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, working on a range ..read more

The 54th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, Billy Nungesser was elected in 2015 and took office in January 2016. Nungesser was moved to enter politics by the slow response from government following Hurricane Katrina. He left his business career and ran for Plaquemines Parish President in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010 with over 70% of the vote. When Plaquemines Parish became ground zero for the nation’s biggest environmental disaster, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, Nungesser became the voice of Louisiana’s frustration. During that crisis, The New York Times nam ..read more

Representing Michigan’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell serves in House Leadership as a co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. She is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee, where she leads on critical issues including affordable and accessible health care, clean energy and water, domestic manufacturing and supply chain resilience, and protecting our wildlife and natural resources. Growing up in beautiful Michigan, Dingell, who chairs the Great Lakes Task For ..read more

Elected by the voters of Minnesota’s District 4 in March 2005, Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter has led on important issues at the local, state, and national level. The first African American ever to serve on a county board in Minnesota, Carter has worked and volunteered in the Twin Cities’ arts community for over three decades, acting professionally with Saint Paul’s Penumbra Theatre, in television and radio commercials and industrials, as talent for print media, and as co-founder/founding director of ARTS-Us. Commissioner Carter has received numerous awards for her work in the communi ..read more

Kwanzaa, an annual celebration of Black culture from December 26-January 1, was created by activist Maulana Karenga and is based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. During the holiday, families and communities organize activities around the Nguzo Saba, or The Seven Principles, which are: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Celebrants attend feasts (karamu), storytelling, and multiple other forms of ..read more

At the age of seven, I was involved in a car accident that nearly amputated my left hand. Since the accident, I have journeyed from denying my disability to embracing it. With this progression, I have frequently rethought concepts that are considered critical to what disability is and can mean, such as being weak, helpless, and incurable.   This thinking progressed in a dialogue with legendary activist Judith Heumann, known for contributions to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and foreign service with disability rights. During a conversation in 2019, Heumann asked why I ref ..read more

Russia’s assault on Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, with a series of missile attacks and the use of long-range artillery. My mother called me from Ukraine in the middle of the night, crying. I assured her that everything will be alright. The next day I was headed south from my home in Florida for a ribbon-cutting event and the idea of war seemed to be surreal. How can we celebrate a new mural when people are being killed by invaders from a neighboring country? As an art administrator, I have always been committed to meaningful projects that raise awareness about political, social, or envi ..read more