2023 Awards Ceremony

Large crowd attended the
2023 AHS History Awards 

The 2023 AHS History Award Winners

Fahden, Espach, Cox, Mitchell-Powell, Gullott, Johnson
(McNerney unavailable)

Historic Preservation: A Career, Calling, and Cause

This presentation and the entire ceremony will be available on the AHS YouTube in the near future.

Rob Nieweg, Senior Vice President
National Trust for Historic Preservation

AHS Award Committee Chairs, Awardees, and Supporters

Al Cox  – T. Michael Miller Award

Over the course of his 29-year career as City Architect, Historic Preservation Manager and BAR staff with the City of Alexandria, and his ongoing work today, Al Cox has played a key role in preserving the city’s history. He has contributed to multiple development projects and streamlined internal processes to both conserve key elements of the city’s past and enable staff to better respond to issues and challenges. Cox is also very involved in the community, participating in National Preservation Month events, giving interviews to local journalism outlets, and providing historical interpretation by leading walking tours, giving lectures, and authoring publications —when not working on his own historic house in Old Town. Although he is formally retired from the city, he continues to provide “pro bono” work for the Murray-Dick-Fawcett House on Prince Street. He is also advising the team working on the future of the Freedom House Museum on Duke Street.

Michael Johnson – T. Michael Miller Award

A lifelong Alexandrian, Michael Johnson’s work as a community historian has enhanced the city’s understanding of its history. He’s researched the history of Parker-Grey High School and presented his research at numerous talks and conferences. Johnson has also tirelessly worked to renovate and share the history of Douglass Memorial Cemetery, which after years of effort has led to a restoration project to return the cemetery to good condition. Johnson is also working to help establish an oral history project to further expand on the history of this burial ground and produces a quarterly newsletter on the cemetery. Johnson is a stakeholder of the Cemetery where several of his family members are buried.  As the individual who nominated Johnson wrote, “Michael is a fierce advocate for various communities in Alexandria and has continued to demand for the right of all communities to tell their own histories. He continues to teach me about the importance of involving community members in public history projects.” Johnson is majoring in history at Coppin State University where he is a member of the Alpha Thea Honor Society and where he received the Fannie Jackson Coppin Award in 2022. Johnson also serves on the Alexandria Archeological Commission and is a member of the Alexandria African American Hall of Fame. Johnson has also founded the Social Responsibility Group and the Friends of Douglass Cemetery. 

Dr. Brenda Mitchell-Powell – Special Merit Award

An independent scholar, Dr. Brenda Mitchell-Powell’s new book Public in Name Only: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In Demonstration highlights the efforts of Black Alexandrians to combat segregation during the era of Jim Crow. In doing so, it connects the efforts of Samuel Wilbert Tucker and his supporters to larger efforts to challenge discrimination and segregation throughout the United States. Using records from the Alexandria Library system, the Alexandria Black History Museum (ABHM), several other archival collections, and interviews with Audrey P. Davis, Executive Director of the ABHM, and long-time Alexandria African American residents, Dr. Mitchell-Powell provides new insights that enhance our understanding of this time period. As the person who submitted her nomination wrote, “This book should be read in all of Alexandria high schools and certainly by all members of city council.”  Note: Dr. Mitchell-Powell's book is available in the gift shops of Freedom House, Alexandria Black History Museum, and the Lyceum.

High School History Award Winners