The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) named Dr. Jeff Forret winner of its in the large press category for his book, Williams' Gang: A Notorious Slave Trader and His Cargo of Black Convicts (Cambridge University Press, 2020).
A national award program for books that preserve and interpret state and local history, the Leadership in History Award was established in 1945 to build standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout America. Publications are categorized according to the press size, and books published in the past two years are eligible. Each nomination is peer-reviewed by AASLH's publication award committee for good history, innovative scholarship, and contribution to the field. A presentation of the award will be made at a special reception during the 2021 AASLH Annual Meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday, September 24.
Forret was recently honored in March as 海角社区's 2021 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer.