Chuck Holmes journeyed to Alabama by way of Russia, Israel, Rwanda, and Kosovo. Living and working in those places as a correspondent for American newspapers, he chronicled war and peace, conflict and change. Later, in Washington, D.C., he brought current events to life as the leader of National Public Radio’s news organization and managing editor of “Morning Edition.”
Holmes, who has family ties to Alabama, was running a Birmingham public radio station when he became executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) in 2021. He says his extensive journalism background was good preparation for the role.
“I bring a lifetime of telling stories,” Holmes explains, “and since I’ve been at AHA, we have tried to define much of what we do as storytelling and supporting storytellers.” In a culturally diverse southern state that treasures community and conversation, storytelling comes naturally and can help bring people together, he says. “We’re all stronger when we can all listen to each other’s stories. We’re trying to create commonality. We’re trying to hopefully generate empathy. And ultimately . . . we want to try and create relationships.”
Holmes points to AHA’s Healing History initiative as an illustration of storytelling in action. Its goal is to use the humanities as a catalyst to spark discussions about the past, revealing a multitude of individual, personal perspectives that provide a fuller understanding of Alabama’s history. AHA provides grant and programmatic support, for example, to the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation, a former cotton plantation in the town of Harpersville, about 30 miles southeast of Birmingham. Descendants of the original homeowner and descendants of the enslaved people who lived there are exploring their shared history with the public through a variety of cultural and educational events.
Holmes describes Past Forward, another Healing History project, as a “role-playing simulation” that traces the economic impact of key national decisions, from the 1865 farm policy that led four million Black farmers to become sharecroppers to more recent mandates governing subprime loans and drug-related arrests. Participants learn how policies affected individuals and their livelihoods and created a wealth gap that persists today.
In an unusual move, AHA is promoting Past Forward to business and civic organizations as a professional development opportunity. Those groups aren’t the typical humanities target audience, but Holmes says that AHA must expand its reach and show more Alabamians how the humanities are relevant to their lives. Past Forward provides anyone at the table with an opening to have “honest conversations about our past race and socioeconomic differences,” Holmes says.
AHA’s effort to grow its audience includes emphasizing the “Alliance” part of its name by strengthening partnerships with humanities-focused organizations throughout the state. Collaborations help make humanities programming more sustainable, and the local connections inspire more people to get involved, Holmes says. When the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street exhibitions travel to small towns, for instance, AHA encourages host organizations to add some local flavor—perhaps firsthand accounts of life in rural Alabama or area folklore. Several years ago, Pell City, a mill town founded in 1890, showcased local history alongside the Smithsonian exhibition. “That ultimately led to the funding and creation of a Pell City history museum,” which opened in 2023, an example, Holmes says, of how AHA’s work can and should have a lasting effect.
In the past year, Holmes and his team have been marking AHA’s fiftieth anniversary with public events featuring some of the state’s well-known storytellers. In August, nearly 1,100 people gathered to hear Grammy-winning musicians Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell discuss their music and Alabama roots and perform. A December event featured a conversation between Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Rick Bragg and humorist Roy Wood Jr.
Those joyful, soulful celebrations illustrate how the humanities are adding new chapters to Alabama’s story—and how everyone, whether they’re on a big stage or in a small town, can, as Holmes puts it, “touch people’s lives, help people be lifelong learners, [and] help them understand their neighbor better.”
Tell us more, Chuck . . .
What surprises people when they visit Alabama? The natural beauty of the state is amazing. I’m a nature lover, and I like to take people to Birmingham’s Ruffner Mountain or Mount Cheaha. Who are some of your favorite Alabama musicians? Jason Isbell is at the top of the list. His song “Alabama Pines” is powerful and evocative about Alabama, and a longing for home. Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” represents something singular about the state because it was recorded in Muscle Shoals in its heyday. Percy Sledge is originally from Muscle Shoals. What is your favorite book? Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was a formative book in my early years. That book is always a reminder to me that doing the right thing is never wrong.
Charles Buchanan is a freelance writer in Birmingham, Alabama.
