WUSF Public Media Receives Funding from Florida Humanities to Produce New Programming on Race and COVID-19

Lashonda Curry, Communications Director, Florida Humanities
Phone: 727-873-2011 | Cell: 813-447-1752
Email: lcurry@flahum.org

Richard Mullins, WUSF Public Media
Phone: 813-228-0652 | Cell: 813-992-8139
Email: rmullins@tuckerhall.com

WUSF Public Media Receives Funding from Florida Humanities to Produce New Programming on Race and COVID-19
WUSF Public Media is one of four Florida public media stations awarded the inaugural Florida Humanities “Broadcasting Hope” grant

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Florida Humanities, the state’s humanities nonprofit organization that supports locally-driven public programming, has awarded WUSF Public Media $20,000 to produce a series of audio oral histories and a “Florida Matters” episode to document the impact of COVID-19 from the viewpoint of Florida communities of color.

“The History of Now: Through Our Voices” will provide a historical perspective to the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery through the voices of people in communities where inequity and injustice exist. The project will result in a series of short podcast-style audio recordings of authentic voices for online distribution as well as an episode of WUSF’s weekly broadcast Florida Matters program in Spring 2022.

“We always are delighted to work with our friends at Florida Humanities,” said JoAnn Urofsky, general manager for WUSF Public Media. “This project is particularly important because it will help us to begin to document the pandemic in Florida through a lens of recent history.”

“Broadcasting Hope” is Florida Humanities’ new grant program which focuses exclusively on, and provides support to, public media stations. The grant application was open to all Florida Public Media member stations, both radio and television, from April 15–June 30, 2021. Florida Humanities sought out innovative projects — audio, digital, film, and other media initiatives — with a strong grounding in the humanities and were accessible to a broad public audience. The media projects needed to focus on topics that enhance our understanding of Florida and its culture, people, and history.

In total, Florida Humanities awarded $75,000 to four stations to support a diverse range of media productions that will highlight past and present racial injustices while inspiring courageous conversations to shift perspectives, foster unity and shape change.

“Florida Humanities saw a great need to support the vital work happening at Florida public media stations, and to simultaneously bring forth stories of resilience, hope, and unity in communities across the Sunshine State,” said Lindsey Morrison, grants director at Florida Humanities. “We were thrilled to launch ‘Broadcasting Hope’ in an effort to meet this moment.”

To learn about all the “Broadcasting Hope” grant awardees and projects, click here: https://floridahumanities.org/2021-august-broadcasting-hope-public-media-grant-awards/
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About Florida Humanities
Florida Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the history, literature, culture, and personal stories that offer Floridians a better understanding of themselves, their communities, and their state. Since 1973, Florida Humanities has awarded more than $16 million in support of statewide cultural resources and public programs strongly rooted in the humanities. These programs preserve Florida’s diverse history and heritage, promote civic engagement and community dialogue, and provide opportunities to reflect on the future of Florida. Learn more at www.FloridaHumanities.org.

About WUSF Public Media
WUSF Public Media is a comprehensive media organization that serves the community and businesses through public broadcasting, digital resources and multi-media production services. Licensed to the University of South Florida, WUSF Public Media has been serving the public interest through programming, educational engagement and community partnerships for 58 years. For more information, visit www.wusf.org.

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