Engaging with the humanities: Randall M. Miller on the message behind “The Window Keeper”

By Karen Price

The Window Keeper is a powerful new poem written by Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher and a poignant reflection on democracy and the enduring promises of the Declaration of Independence. 

Commissioned by PA Humanities and ArtPhilly for America250PA’s 2024 National Convening of States and Partners, the poem was digitally animated by artist Naeem Murdic and this rendering showcases the interplay between words, art, and technology, and demonstrates the power of creative collaboration to spark meaningful dialogue.

This animated version of the poem was supported by PA Humanities and generous donors including Randall M. Miller, who has contributed to PA Humanities in many ways over the years. Mr. Miller served on the board of directors from 2003 to 2007, was chair from 2005 to 2006, and was also a speaker in the popular Commonwealth Speaker Series. The Glen Mills resident and professor emeritus of history at Saint Joseph’s University has authored and/or edited a number of books on topics including religion, popular culture, regional cultures, slavery, and the American Civil War, and is the former editor of Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography and a former president of the Pennsylvania Historical Association. He also is a co-editor of the digital Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.

PA Humanities recently spoke with Mr. Miller to learn more about his support of The Window Keeper and his thoughts as the United States of America prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. 

Why did you want to support the Window Keeper poem initiative?

I’m happy, in so much as I can, to support any of the initiatives coming out of PA Humanities. I strongly believe in the power of the PA Humanities organization. I believe it’s well led, well directed, conceptually and practically. What I like about PA Humanities as well is it’s not stuck in the mud. I’m almost talking in cliches here, but PA Humanities is able to think in new ways about what are the humanities and, more importantly, how do we engage people in the humanities. A lot of humanities councils get comfortable doing what they’ve always been doing and one of the best things about PA Humanities is it’s never comfortable to just keep on doing what it’s always been doing. 

What about the poem resonates with you?

A poem is meant to be read, but it’s also meant to be shared, so it is the perfect medium in that regard. The poem itself in its message fits the moment here as we prepare for the 250th, but it would fit any moment. The need to see. The capacity to see is one of the themes, at least that’s what I got from reading through The Window Keeper. Looking in, looking out, but looking in includes looking at yourself, and looking out is also looking at and appreciating your relationship with others. That’s a universal theme, one might say, but it was beautifully rendered in this way. What resonated with me was it spoke to a fundamental truth, a necessary truth, in a way that made us appreciate the beauty of language. The humanities by its very nature is a reflection on the human condition. What is it, what was it, what might it be. Who we were, who we are, who we want to be. So invariably it requires self-reflection and projection. And of course poems do that. 

What opportunities exist for everyday Americans to engage with the humanities going into the 250th anniversary?

The most important thing people can do is read the Declaration of Independence. Read it through, read it closely, and ask questions. It’s a very powerful document. We invoke it all the time and people take pieces of it and insist, ‘Well, that’s what it means,’ but most people I don’t think appreciate not just the history behind its creation or the rationale but also the power of its construction. We’re talking about difficult times today, these fraught times. This is the time to read and think about the Declaration of Independence because of course the larger warning is that we may be born with certain inalienable rights, but those inalienable rights aren’t self-actuating. They’re not self-actualising. They’re not something that simply exists. It requires vigilance and it requires vigor as well. The vigilance of being constantly alert to the dangers out there and the vigor of having the energy not only to do that but to do something about it. And that’s important and in reading the text you can appreciate that. It’s a call for watchfulness and for mindfulness and then obligation. We need to be mindful and we do have obligations for our own freedom. We can not be passive.

And in reading it, it’s also an invitation to do what PA Humanities is doing and that is discussion.  Sharing with others. And you can do that through all kinds of formats and that’s the beauty of it. But I think the most important thing we can do for the 250th anniversary is read and try to understand and ask what are our obligations coming from this document that’s the touchstone for what is really America. We need to be responsible stewards of it and to understand it so we can live it ourselves and be exemplars of it and encourage a world to risk doing what we risked in 1776. One of the big things we hope comes out of the 250th is not just a reflection on our past but an understanding of our present and discovering a means of creating the kind of community necessary so we can stand together as a people and protect our freedoms.

“The Window Keeper” by Yolanda Wisher was commissioned by PA Humanities and ArtPhilly for America250PA’s 2024 National Convening of States and Partners. The animated version of the poem, created by Naeem Murdic was supported by PA Humanities and generous donors.