Boston’s Museum of African American History announced the creation of an award, which will honor non-fiction literature celebrating African American history and culture.
The first Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Award, which includes a $25,000 prize, will be presented in the summer of 2018 at the African Meeting House in Boston, a designated National Historic Landmark, and one of MAAH’s properties. The winning title will be selected by a panel of judges who will include respected historians, authors and academicians. The award was established in partnership with longtime benefactor the James M. and Catherine D. Stone Foundation, whose mission is to promote a more knowledgeable and inclusive society with an emphasis on education, science, mitigation of economic inequality, biodiversity, and urban sustainability. Cathleen Douglas Stone currently serves as the MAAH board chair.
According to Marita Rivero, the museum’s executive director, the award will underscore the often-unrecognized historic importance of the African American experience and its impact here in the United States and around the globe.
“Like our collection and our many programs and exhibits, the MAAH Stone Book Award will showcase and commemorate the contributions of generations of African Americans in New England and beyond,” Rivero said. “This exciting new initiative has the potential to grow and change in the years to come.”