The Federation of State Humanities Councils, founded in 1977, is the membership association of 55 state and territorial councils. Each November, the Federation’s National Humanities Conference provides an opportunity for councils to exchange information and ideas about humanities issues and programs as well as administrative and governance practices.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Taking Stock, Telling our Story, Transforming the Future.” The purpose is to use this occasion, four decades into our experience of engaging the public with the humanities, to step back and take stock of our best practices, our most effective program formats and subjects, and our most compelling messages. 

The 2012 National Humanities Conference CAPPS Lecture features Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the first African-American to win for individual reporting. She is also the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Warmth of Other Suns, a story documenting one of the greatest underreported migrations that reshaped modern America. She has spoken at universities across the country and in Europe and has appeared on national networks including CBS, PBS, NPR, NBC and C-SPAN.

The Walter H. Capps Memorial Lecture was established by the Federation Board of Directors in 1999 to honor the memory of Congressman Walter H. Capps—teacher, writer, public servant, and humanist in the deepest sense. Congressman Capps was a member of the California Council for the Humanities for six years and its chair for three. He was the chair of the Federation Board of Directors from 1983 to 1985. The lecture, officially designated the Walter H. Capps Memorial Lecture, is held annually as part of, or in conjunction with, the Federation’s National Humanities Conference.

The Chicago History Museum cares for, showcases, and interprets millions of authentic pieces of Chicago and U.S. history in order to serve as a reminder of the past, shed light on the present, and inform the future.