"1857 Project" Named as a Finalist in Bar Association awards

The Pulitzer Center-supported 1857 Project has been named a finalist in the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts. 

The 1857 Project is part of a special issue in the Gateway Journalism Review that explores the history of slavery and race in St. Louis, Missouri, also referred to as the Land of Dred Scott. The project touches on two important moments in the nation’s history: the Dred Scott decision to write Blacks out of the Constitution and the Lincoln-Douglas debates over whether America could endure supporting both slavery and freedom. 

Pulitzer Center grantee William H. Freivogel wrote four stories that discussed the centrality of slavery, segregation, and racism to the American experience by drawing a direct line from the gruesome history of race in the past to the state of racial tensions and relations today. 

The 1857 Project was selected from 130 entries in various categories. The 18-member Standing Committee on Gavel Awards will select the award recipients based on how well they address the purpose of the awards; demonstrate the educational value of legal information and impact on the public; exhibit an accurate presentation of the issues, and display creativity and originality in the approach to the subject matter and technical skill in production.

According to an online statement, the American Bar Association presents these awards to recognize work in media and the arts that have been exemplary in helping to foster the American public’s understanding of the law and the legal system.

Winners will be announced on May 20, 2021. To view the full list of the finalists, click here.