The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) congratulates Irving Archives and Museum (IAM) and the Irving Black Arts Council (IBAC) for receiving an Award of Excellence for “A Local Green Book.” The Award of Excellence is part of the AASLH Leadership in History Awards, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and local history.

The award-winning project developed by Irving Archives and Museum in collaboration with the Irving Black Arts Council produced a comprehensive suite of programming in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s The Local Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition that provided insights and understandings into the challenges and hardships the Black community encountered in travel, education, entertainment, and services during the Jim Crow era. Through Scholar’s Talks, film screenings, panel discussions and a locally curated exhibition, the exhibition and programming of IAM and IBAC’s project reached a broad audience. Of particular note was a panel discussion of eyewitnesses to history headlined by Dr. Opal Lee and Judge L Clifford Davis. The exhibition and programming ran from October 16, 2022 – January 8, 2023.

This year, AASLH is proud to confer fifty-one national awards honoring people, projects, and exhibits. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.

The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to www.aaslh.org.

About Irving Archives and Museum

The Irving Archives and Museum (IAM) excites visitors with its permanent exhibition on the history of Irving, temporary exhibitions, and a Smithsonian Spark!Lab where adults and children alike create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, and invent. Also housed at IAM is the city’s archives, allowing the discovery of Irving’s history through access to documents, photographs, maps, films, and more.

About Irving Black Arts Council

The Irving Black Arts Council’s (IBAC) mission is to “showcase African American art and artists, enrich our community, and inspire audiences by providing quality art programming. IBAC is an organization that promotes and encourages cultural enrichment and activities for individuals and families. The types of activities includes: Art Shows, Musical Concerts, Poetry Readings, Theatrical Productions, Literary Scholarship Contests, Lectures, Seminars and Youth Programs.”

About AASLH

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), a national nonprofit association, provides leadership and resources to help the history community thrive and make the past more meaningful for all people. AASLH serves the tens of thousands of history organizations, professionals, and volunteers around the country who help people of all ages develop critical thinking skills and understand how learning history helps society make progress toward justice. Through research, advocacy, and our field-leading professional development program, AASLH advances public history practice and connects history practitioners to critical issues in the field and to one another. For more information about AASLH visit www.aaslh.org.