Tikkun Olam Prize for Promoting Public Historical Literacy
[Note: the formal translation of Tikkun Olam is “to repair the world.”]
The Tikkun Olam Prize for Promoting Public Historical Literacy addresses a major problem in American public culture, which inhibits the operation of democratic institutions, and processes: the breadth and depth of historical illiteracy. This prize honors individuals whose work has promoted literacy in public culture, with the abiding hope that such work will indeed help “to repair the world.” We look for sustained historical work that contributes significantly to historical literacy (defined as “meaningful knowledge about the past, historical context, and ability to think historically and critically”) in American public culture, with an emphasis on history education (broadly construed) beyond the academy.
Everything has a history and history can be practiced in all sorts of ways. This prize places no limitations on genre, venue, or topic.
The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.
The executive director and the AHA president will recommend a nominee for approval by the AHA Council. The recipient will be announced each fall and presented with the award at the Association’s annual meeting.
2023 Tikkun Olam Prize
Marvin Dunn, Florida International University
What most distinguishes Marvin Dunn’s contribution to historical literacy has been how he has grounded his response to recent racial violence in the long histories of racism in Florida, especially by preserving the memory of the Rosewood Massacre of 1923. The now lost town of Rosewood suffered a week of white mob violence that killed at least 100 people and wiped the prosperous Black community off the map. Dunn purchased five acres of land in Rosewood more than a decade ago to preserve the memory of the town’s racist-fueled destruction and now leads Teach the Truth tours on the property. His presence on the site provoked a white neighbor to attempt to run down Dunn and others with his pickup truck.