Chicago Humanities Festival Returns for Fall 2020

The Fall 2020 Chicago Humanities Festival will host a range of leading voices on the most pressing issues of our time in the first all-digital Fall Festival in the organization's thirty-year history. In service of CHF's 2020 theme of "Vision,"events this fall will present different visions on topics including racial inequality, democracy, and education. Events will run from September through November to allow CHF to address developing news impacting Chicago and the nation.

The diverse group of speakers include poet Claudia Rankine; founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas, Peniel E. Joseph; and renowned professor of American History Jill Lepore. Many other preeminent speakers will be announced as the season unfolds.

CHF will also continue to present its Chicago Neighborhood Check-In Series, started this spring, which brings together local artists, activists, students, educators, and business owners from Chicago neighborhoods to discuss the local impact of COVID-19 and social protests. The Fall Festival will also launch a new series called "What's Next?" which will envision the future for a range of issues like voting, the environment, and freedom of speech.

The Annual Fall Gala will also continue in a digital format. This year's celebration, held on October 20, will honor Liz Glassman, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Terra Foundation for American Art.

Even during this new digital moment, CHF is dedicated to using the humanities to lead deeper conversations about the most pressing issues of our time, inspire audiences, and provide a vision of this moment in our shared history. Donations and sustained memberships during this challenging time help to ensure the stability of the Festival and fuel diverse and high-quality programming for the future.

Fall Festival

September 8 - November 22, 2020

ChicagoHumanities.org

Announced Programs

Jill Lepore: Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 - 8:00 PM (YouTube/Livestream)

Claudia Rankine: Thursday, September 24, 7:00 - 8:00 PM (YouTube/Livestream)

Peniel E. Joseph: Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 - 8:00 PM (YouTube/Livestream)