Archives' Exhibit Receives Prestigious National Award

06/15/22



Press Release - For Immediate Release
June 15, 2022

Media Contact: 
Georgia Ann Hudson
georgiaann.hudson@archives.alabama.gov or (334) 353-3312


JUSTICE NOT FAVOR: ALABAMA WOMEN & THE VOTE RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD

Montgomery, AL (06/15/2022) – The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) is proud to announce that its temporary exhibition Justice Not Favor: Alabama Women & the Vote is the recipient of a 2022 Award of Excellence presented by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The Award of Excellence is part of the AASLH Leadership in History Awards, the organization’s most prestigious national recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and local history. 

The exhibition, a centerpiece in the ADAH’s multi-year commemoration of the centennial of women’s suffrage, was on view from August 26, 2021, through June 4, 2022, at the Museum of Alabama, located inside the ADAH. Developed and designed entirely by ADAH staff, Justice Not Favor explored the compelling story of the long fight to secure voting rights for women in the state. From the debate over the 19th Amendment through the modern Civil Rights era, the exhibition illuminated the lives and voices of Alabama suffragists across four generations, spanning nearly all of the twentieth century. During its ten-month run, thousands of visitors explored Alabama’s complex suffrage story through vivid graphics and original archival materials and museum artifacts from the ADAH’s collections and on loan from other institutions and individuals. 

“The pandemic delayed our commemoration of the centennial of women’s suffrage, but it did nothing to diminish our team’s enthusiasm for this project or the public’s receptiveness to a clear-eyed, evidence-based examination of the complex history surrounding suffrage. Justice Not Favor revealed that the path to ballot access was not confined to the early twentieth century, but actually spanned more than a century of debate over who should have a say in electing public officials. We are grateful for AASLH’s recognition of this timely work,” said ADAH Director Steve Murray.

A virtual tour of the exhibition is available here. The ADAH also published a catalog companion to the exhibition. Copies are available for purchase in the ADAH’s Museum Store and online at shopalabama.original.com

This year, AASLH conferred 53 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. According to the organization, “the winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.” The awards will be presented during AASLH’s annual conference in Buffalo, NY, in September.

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 Alabama Department of Archives and History is the state’s government-records repository, a special-collections library and research facility, and home to the Museum of Alabama, the state history museum. It is located in downtown Montgomery, directly across Washington Avenue from the State Capitol. The Museum of Alabama is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. The EBSCO Research Room is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 to 4:30. To learn more, visit www.archives.alabama.gov or call (334) 242-4364. 

###

Alabama Department of Archives & History 
624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130
www.archives.alabama.gov


Back to Press Releases