Join the conversation this spring, wherever you are, as Pittsburgh Humanities Festival @ Home presented by Citizens Bank hosts “smart talk about stuff that matters.” Catch free and fascinating live-streamed interviews with artists, academics, and intellectual innovators exploring a range of topics—a youthful take on gun violence prevention, baking cookies for social justice, restoration of Homewood’s National Negro Opera House, and perceptions of Black women in popular music history.

The virtual Festival – typically produced in a lively, entertaining, accessible format in the heart of the Cultural District each spring – is designed to create meaningful dialogue online. These events connect us for conversation when we need it most. Each talk will be streamed on the Cultural Trust's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Jonnet Solomon will discuss the rich history of the National Negro Opera House located in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood and the effort she is leading to restore it to its former glory. The house which welcomed significant figures such as Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Roberto Clemente, Count Basie, Ahmad Jamal, and Sarah Vaughan was recently named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of 11 Most Endangered Places.

Daphne A. Brooks, Yale professor and award winning black feminist music critic, takes us on an epic journey through radical sound from Bessie Smith to Beyoncé as she discuss her new book Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound.

Jasmine Cho will discuss her work as a baker based in Pittsburgh and how she uses the art of cookie making and decorating as a therapy and to promote Asian American representation. She creates intricate, hand-drawn cookie portraits of Asian American figures as a way to increase representation and raise awareness of Asian American history and identity. Her work has been featured internationally on various media outlets and she is currently working toward developing a research-based bake therapy program rooted in the field of art therapy.

Not My Generation, founded by college student Kathryn Fleisher after the Tree of Life synagogue massacre, prioritizes coalition-building and the bringing together of diverse communities to create meaningful, sustainable change. This panel includes Fleisher and members of Not My Generation discussing how to overcome the community's unique struggle with gun violence and how youth can achieve effective agency.