We're thrilled to announce that the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has selected the Detroit Historical Society’s multiyear community engagement project The Hustle as a recipient of the 2025 History in Progress (HIP) Award and Leadership in History Award!
About the Awards
This year, AASLH confers 54 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards are the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
The HIP Award, given at the discretion of the AASLH Awards Committee, is an additional award for an Award of Excellence winner whose nomination is highly inspirational, exhibits exceptional scholarship, and/or is exceedingly entrepreneurial in terms of funding, partnerships, collaborations, creative problem solving, unusual project design, or inclusiveness. Only 5 percent or less of the total number of Award of Excellence winners can be given the HIP Award.
More about the Hustle
The Detroit Historical Society launched the Hustle in 2022 to celebrate Detroit’s Black entrepreneurial community and highlight the city’s neighborhood businesses. Out of nearly 800 crowd-sourced nominations, 34 honorees were selected to be featured in a series of quarterly exhibitions at the Detroit Historical Museum. The museum exhibitions were supported by public events and education programs, a festive black-tie gala, a day-long resource summit, an in-depth podcast, and a commemorative book.
While the program concluded in 2024, it's set to return for a second round in late 2025! In the meantime, you can learn more about the Hustle honorees, view the virtual exhibition, and explore an oral history archive.