The Charles Hamilton Houston Prize

The Charles Hamilton Houston Prize is an annual monetary gift awarded to a senior who best personifies a commitment to realizing humane ideals, much like Charles Houston 1915, who devoted his life to the struggle for equal protection under the law for African-Americans.  Candidates are required to write an essay of no more than 10 pages addressing:  "In what area of social involvement do you feel that you can best effect humanitarian ideals?"  Candidates are required to submit a list of activities and/or work experiences illustrating commitments to this ideal.  Essays should be submitted electronically to blackstudies@amherst.edu no later than 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2024.

Prize Winners

YearNameYearName
1994Anne-Marie Yu1995Damani Partridge
1996No award1997Andrew Yoon
1998Noah Lippe-Klein1999No award
2000Elizabeth Irwin2001Illana Foss
2002Eric Thalasinos & Emilie Boone2003Nicholas Wexler
2004Luke Swarthout2005Paige Wallace
2006Eboni Jones2007Sarah Avery Long
2008Oscar Baez & Laura Stein2009Michelle Sanders & Destry Sibley
2010Makaula Ayanda Bam2011Amanda Bass & Michael Reuben Britt
2012Agostine Ndung'u2013No award
2014Adrianna Turner & Carlos Gonzalez2015Uju Momah
2016Jessi Wilcox & Stella Oyalabu2017Jessica Maposa
2018Jalencia Wade2019Alizeh Shuaib Sethi & Huey Hewitt
2020Olusade Gabriella Green 2021Jeremy Thomas & Claire Hawthorne
2022Joelle Crichlow2023Jalen Woodard

The Edward Jones Prize

Each year the Black Studies Department awards the Edward Jones Prize in honor of the first black alumnus of Amherst College. Competition for the prize is open to any graduating senior who has written an honors thesis that addresses a present or future issue of concern to black people in Africa and the Diaspora.

Submissions for the Jones Prize will be accepted by the Black Studies Department from all other Amherst College academic departments. In order to be considered, please email a copy of your thesis to blackstudies@amherst.edu no later than 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2024. The prize recipient is determined by members of the Black Studies Department and is awarded at Senior Assembly.

Prize Winners

YearNameYearName
1994Shawn Sullivan & William C. Turner1995Erika Butler
1996Charlton Copeland & Michael Mullins 1997Sarah Hultman
1998Adam Brett Wolf1999Jewel Sophia Young
2000Nanna Abenaa Frimpong & Nicholas Rabinowitz2001Nadia Latif
2002Eli Bloomberg & Peter Juran2003Joshua Levy
2004No award2005Max Retting
2006No award2007 Katina Hubbard & Jacob Maguire
 2008Jacob Goldberg2009Jenny Mancino & Nicholas Pastan
2010Joan Victoria Flores2011Jamie Cohen, Rachel Hamalainen & Michelle Huynh
2012Porshe Janae Dames2013Aubrey Jones
2014Ruodi Duan & Dylan Vasey2015Katherine Ponds
2016Rachel Abernethy & Stella Oyalabu2017Raheem Jackson & Christin Washington
2018Jalencia Wade & Stefan Yong2019Huey Hewitt & Bryan Miller
2020Avery Farmer & Henry P. McNeil 2021 Djelimory Diabate
2022Aniah Washington & Joelle Crichlow2023Sirus Wheaton

 

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