MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Producers of an upcoming series of performances are seeking the community’s support in the wake of federal action that has canceled a grant that was to provide critical funding for the production.

On April 2, the National Endowment for the Humanities, or NEH, was abruptly instructed to cancel hundreds of grants, including a $25,000 “Humanities for All” award from California Humanities.

This was the primary funding source for the “Harlem Voices Project,” Clovice Lewis Jr.’s opus work exploring Black cultural history and modern justice through storytelling and song.

The project is a partnership between Lewis and the Middletown Art Center, or MAC.

President Trump and DOGE cut NEH funding by 80 to 85%, laying off staff, cancelling grants and ongoing public programs across the United States, while diverting funds to other “fiscal priorities.”

Humanities agencies and projects funded prior to the present Trump administration across the U.S. were impacted.

Composed by Lewis, the Harlem Voices Project consists of selections from “Harlem Voices” and “Harlem Voices: Revisited.”

Two preview performances were held in Upper Lake at the Tallman Hotel and at the Middletown Art Center.

Loss of financial support from California Humanities leaves Lewis and the MAC urgently seeking financial support for the remaining three concert performances at the Soper-Reese Theatre in Lakeport.

The concerts feature a standout cast of vocalists and 13-piece orchestra from across the tri-county and Bay Areas.

The vocalists are:

• April M. Wright – gospel singer and star of “Chicken, Chitlins, and Caviar.”
• Reginald V. Finley – gospel singer and pastor.
• Ben Meyers – Unitarian Universalist minister and vocalist.
• Blue Ryon – local singer-songwriter and activist.
• My Divas – Lake County’s beloved a cappella group.

“This is more than a show — it’s a cultural lifeline,” said Bay Area theater veteran Sabrina Klein Clement.

Take local action to support Harlem Voices, the arts and humanities by buying a ticket to one of three shows at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport on May 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. and June 1 at 2 p.m.

Visit the Middletown Art Center webpage at https://middletownartcenter.org/harlem-voices.html to learn more about Harlem Voices, purchase tickets, sponsor the project or contribute to the Harlem Voices GoFundMe campaign at https://gofund.me/4f7b8b3c.