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Support the development of the Prairie State Museum Project’s project video, highlighting the news coverage produced from this unique initiative between journalism and museums.

GOAL: $15,000

Update 10/01/20: We have raised $8,000! Thank you to Pulitzer Center, Gorman USA, Sarah Mirkin, and many donors like you! Listen about why to support the PSMP here.

In Carbondale, the project impact video will feature a conversation between journalist Brian Munoz of the director of the African American Museum of Southern Illinois, Najjar Abdul-Musawwir. In Chicago, journalists Mark Braboy and Olivia Cunningham will be in conversation with the director of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, Billy Ocasio. In both instances, these journalists will talk about the need for both local journalism and local museums in our communities, places where we go to debate and share ideas, and ultimately, maintain the pillars of our democracy. Connections to today’s Black Lives Matter movement and representation in media and museums will also be explored.
The Prairie State Museums Project team would like to leverage the Pulitzer Center’s generous $5,000 video grant to showcase Illinois. We are about $5,000 short in raising funds for video editing, narration, subtitling, honoraria for the museums involved, promotion on social media, and other crew-related expenses such as renting production equipment. Please see the one-pager about our project and how the project funds will be used. This is an opportunity to feature Illinois as a national leader in supporting arts and culture. Please reach out to Project Director Daniel Ronan if you may have any questions. 
Please see the following video by participating journalist Karen Ackerman Witter about reasons to support the Prairie State Museums Project. Thank you to Chicago Filmmakers for serving as the fiscal sponsor of this project.