The New York Public Library (NYPL) has announced that Rethinking Slave Rebellion in Cuba by Aisha K. Finch has won the inaugural Harriet Tubman Prize. As the winner, Finch will receive $7,500 in prize money.
This award, named after the famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, was created to recognize nonfiction books that investigate the subject of slavery. Three scholars served on this year’s jury: Kathleen Bethel of Northwestern University, Greg Grandin of New York University, and Charles R. Johnson of the University of Washington.
Here’s more from the press release: “The esteemed jury described Rethinking Slave Rebellion in Cuba as ‘a nuanced, deeply researched, and precisely rendered’ examination of the underground rebel movement in western Cuba. They added, ‘With a textured reading of the gendered dynamics of the revolt, based on voluminous judicial documents, and a penetrating analysis of the broader social and political consequences of the uprising and its brutal repression, Rethinking Slave Rebellion is both timely and timeless, sure to take its place among the great works on Atlantic World slavery.'” An award ceremony has been scheduled to take place on December 12 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.