Sowande’ Mustakeem, an associate professor of history and of African and African American studies, both in WashU Arts & Sciences, will receive a 2026 Dred Scott Freedom Award from the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation.
Mustakeem is author of “Slavery at Sea: Terror, Sex, and Sickness in the Middle Passage” (2016), a groundbreaking exploration of the Atlantic slave trade. Published as part of the University of Illinois’ prestigious New Black Studies Series, the book won the 2017 Wesley-Logan Prize, jointly awarded by the American Historical Association and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Mustakeem’s other research interests include the history of women, girls and crime as well as the future of memory and archival engagement. She recently published chapters in “Carceral Architecture: From Within and Beyond the Prison Walls” (2025) and “The Dutch Transatlantic Slave Trade: New Methods, Perspectives, and Sources” (2024).
The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation honors the legacy of Dred and Harriet Scott. In 1846, the couple sued for their freedom in St. Louis Circuit Court. After a long battle, in 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against them, denying the Scotts their freedom and setting a precedent that is now seen as an important catalyst to the Civil War. In 2012, Dred Scott was inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.
Mustakeem was previously selected for a Dred Scott Freedom Award in 2020, for Historical Literary Excellence, but the ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19. The 2026 ceremony will take place March 7 at the M1 Bank Event Hall in Clayton. Awards will be presented by foundation president Lynne M. Jackson, a great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott. For more information or to register, visit dredscottlives.org.
