On May 19, noon to 1pm, Illinois Humanities will be celebrating this year’s Public Humanities Awards honorees: Chicago poet, museum educator, and teaching artist Nicole Bond, Executive Director and Co-Founder of I Am East St. Louis, Lorenzo Savage, and Director of the Western Illinois Museum in Macomb, Sue Scott. Illinois Humanities will present the Beacon Award to the Art for Justice Fund, a national organization disrupting mass incarceration by funding artists and advocates working together to transform our criminal legal system. This year’s awardees join other leaders recognized by Illinois Humanities since 1984 including Eve Ewing, Dawoud Bey, Jeanne Gang, and Tonika Lewis Johnson. The 2022 Public Humanities Awards will stream live online on May 19, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CST. Funds raised by the event support the organization’s grantmaking and free public humanities programs throughout Illinois. Registration is free, and donations are encouraged. All contributions support Illinois Humanities’ mission to provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. Register to attend and contribute a donation at: https://www.ilhumanities.org/PHA