WHS Wins AASLH Award for Exhibit

NASHVILLE, TN — The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) announced that the Westport Historical Society is the recipient of an Award of Excellence for Remembered: The History of African Americans in Westport. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 74th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. 

The exhibit which opened May 6, 2018 and will close on June 30, 2019 explores the lives of African American Westporters from the town’s earliest 17^th century settlement through today. Covering the period of enslavement through to the Civil Rights Era, Remembered honors and acknowledges heretofore hidden contributions of African Americans to the building of Westport, New England and America.

This year, AASLH is proud to confer fifty national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. Presentation of the awards will be made at a special banquet during the 2019 AASLH Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, August 30. The banquet is supported by a generous contribution from the History Channel.

“We are beyond thrilled to receive this prestigious honor from AASLH,” said Westport Historical Society Executive Director, Ramin Ganeshram. “This award represents the highest-level acknowledgment from our colleagues for the dedicated hard work we have been doing over the past year to offer a holistic and inclusive view of history. We are extremely proud of Remembered and the dialogue it has encouraged within our town.”

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.

The American Association for State and Local History is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people. AASLH publishes books, technical publications, a quarterly magazine, and maintains numerous affinity communities and committees serving a broad range of constituents across the historical community. The association also sponsors an annual meeting, regional and national training in-person workshops, and online training. 

ABOUT WESTPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY:  The award-winning Westport Historical Society (WHS) is a cultural center devoted to providing engaging, interactive interpretation of local history inclusive of all stories and all people. Located in beautiful downtown Westport, WHS, provides a variety of programming for people of all ages including an abundance of free events for the community to enjoy. From beloved yearly events such as annual Garden Tour to a full month of harvest and Halloween programming in October to the beloved Holly Days, an ecumenical December celebration for the holiday season to unique happenings from performances, lectures, readings and interactive activities, WHS strives to present history in a fun, modern context. In the 2018/19 program year, WHS received accolades ,local and regional awards, and national award nominations for  its ground-breaking exhibit Remembered: The History of African Americans in Westport.