As an English major and a lifelong writer, the House of Representatives’ vote to defund the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) led me to want to take action. Though I eventually want to go to grad school for social work, I never want to see the arts and humanities programs cut from schools, to see a lack of classical musicians and painters and poets in the middle schools I hope to work in. Taking my own advice from a prior article, “Here’s What Actually Happened in D.C., and Here’s What You Can Do To Keep The Fight Going”, I decided to start a letter writing campaign to our national senators, in the hope that they will vote against the NEA/NEH defunding.
Luckily, I was in similar company. Katie Southall, the president of SAI, the music fraternity on campus, also wanted to make her chapter’s voice known. So we teamed up with Writing House, Art House, Blue Note Jazz House, and Harmony House to buy prestamped, prewritten postcards that people just had to sign and address. We had the money, supplies, and motivation. We just needed people to come out and sign.
Photograph by Heather McConnell ’17
Before I continue, I should let you know the impact of defunding the NEA/NEH:
- Approximately $148 million dollars will be saved by cutting the NEA, which accounts to approximately 0.004% of our national budget. Taxpayers will save approximately $0.46 each.
- In states such as Iowa, state-funded art festivals and art projects around the state would be cut.
- Certain traveling museum exhibits would no longer be able to come to the United States, such as the “Treasures of Tutankhamen” and “Jerusalem 1000-1400” exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (you know, that museum you could enter for free if you wanted to).
- PBS and NPR would have to rely solely on donations.
- Various local photography shows and plays that could have cultural or social significance.
- Interviews with musicians, jazz concerts, orchestras, and chamber music.
- Community theaters, radio stations, and art studios, especially those in the Midwest where donations cannot cover the majority of production and employee costs.
- 40% of the activities covered by the NEA take place in high-poverty neighborhoods.
Photo credits go to newenglishreview.org
So what came of our protesting? Well, we mailed out over 300 postcards and a few dozen hand-written letters. We were asked to speak at a student-run solidarity event, where we were able to discuss the importance of reaching out to your senators and your local representatives, as well as how we got the funding to buy our postcards. In the end, we had a huge voice coming out of Gettysburg College, consisting of students, professors, staff, and some local community members who all wanted to see the arts and humanities programs we have grown to love stay funded and accessible to the public. So if you want to start protesting? Postcards cost $0.38. Scripts for calling your representatives and senators are online. All politicians’ work addresses are publicly accessible. Reach out to them, and keep reaching out until they listen to you. Because despite all of their pandering and callousness, they do exist to serve our needs. So follow our lead, and get talking.