Taylor Branch to Receive National Archives Foundation Records of Achievement Award

The National Archives Foundation today announced that American author and Pulitzer Prize winner Taylor Branch will receive its 2015 Records of Achievement Award.The honor recognizes Branch’s lifelong work to chronicle the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the history of the Civil Rights movement in his landmark series America in the King Years.

“As our nation observes the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, it feels especially appropriate to salute Taylor Branch’s meticulous scholarship and his gift for bringing the details of that pivotal era to life,” said A’Lelia Bundles, Chair of the Board of the National Archives Foundation. “We eagerly look forward to his conversation with former Attorney General Eric Holder about their shared interest in the history and future of civil rights.”

“I am pleased that the National Archives Foundation has selected Taylor Branch for its 2015 Records of Achievement Award,” said David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. “Branch’s Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative history of the United States during the Civil Rights era has shaped the public’s understanding of this transformative period of American history.”

Mr. Branch will receive the award at the Foundation’s annual Gala, held at the National Archives, on October 28 in Washington, DC. Congressman John Lewis will serve as an honorary co-chair of the event.

“I am humbled to join the list of scholars and artists recognized by the National Archives Foundation,” said Taylor Branch. “Because our country is founded on an idea rather than a language or ethnicity, the U.S. National Archives can serve an inspirational purpose: to light the future by confronting the past. I salute your mission.” ...