While flying to a national education conference several years ago, I received a call that would deepen my commitment to the cultural fabric of Kentucky. Kathleen Pool, then the Associate Director of Kentucky Humanities, asked me to join the organization’s Board of Directors. I’ll admit I hadn’t heard much about the group at the time. But I said yes. Today, I know that decision was one of the most consequential I’ve made in public service.
That’s why I’m deeply concerned about proposed cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a lifeline for Kentucky’s cultural, educational, and civic vitality since 1972.
In every corner of the Commonwealth, from Appalachia to the Mississippi, NEH funding—channeled through state partners like Kentucky Humanities—brings people together through stories, history, and dialogue. It supports local museums, libraries, K–12 education programs, reading initiatives for underserved youth, and projects that preserve Kentucky’s unique historical and cultural legacies. These are not luxuries—they are essential investments in community, identity, and democracy.
Some might argue the humanities aren’t essential. But in Kentucky, we know better. When a student in Covington learns about the Civil Rights Movement from a local oral history project, that’s NEH at work. When families attend a Kentucky Chautauqua performance in Bowling Green to witness Kentucky’s stories brought to life on stage, that’s NEH. When veterans find healing through literature in a book discussion series in Lexington, that’s NEH.
I urge Governor Andy Beshear, Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell, and Kentucky’s congressional delegation—Thomas Massie, Andy Barr, James Comer, Morgan McGarvey, Hal Rogers, and Brett Guthrie—to stand up for NEH funding.
This is not about partisan politics. It’s about sustaining 53 years of vital work. Cutting this funding would be a death blow to organizations like Kentucky Humanities, erasing decades of impact in small towns and large cities alike.
To weaken the humanities is to weaken the soul of our state. Let’s not let that happen on our watch.
Let’s keep telling Kentucky’s stories.
Dr. Nicholas D. Hartlep is Robert Charles Billings Chair in Education at Berea College Board Member and a Kentucky Humanities board member.