The Spingarn Medal was established on this day in 1914, one of the most prestigious annual awards given to African Americans.
It is awarded yearly by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Joel Elias Spingarn, then the chairman of the NAACP, created it. The medal serves two purposes: one is to draw the attention of the American people to the achievements and distinguished work of African Americans, and the other is to reward such achievements, thereby helping to stimulate the ambition of African American youth. The Spingarn Medal is made of gold and is valued at $100.
To make certain that this award is continued on an indefinite basis, Joel E. Spingarn donated in his will $20,000 to the NAACP with the following statement: “To perpetuate the lifelong interest of my brother, Arthur B. Spingarn, of my wife, Amy E. Spingarn, and of myself in the achievements of the American Negro.” If this organization fails to continue, Howard University or Fisk University will assume management of the Spingarn Medal.
In 1915, the NAACP established a committee comprising several prominent individuals, including John Hope, president of Morehouse College, John Hurst, bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and William H. Taft, President of the United States. This committee was tasked with selecting the recipients of the Spingarn Medal. The first person to receive this award was Ernest Everett Just, a former professor of biology at Howard University. Since then, there has been a recipient each year except one (1938).
Willie Brown Jr. and Patrick Gaspard were the 2018 and 2019 award recipients, Jim Clyburn was the recipient in 2022, Hazel Dukes in 2024, and Henry Louis Gates in 2025
Image courtesy of DuSable Museum of African American History
Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and
African American Experience
Editors: Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Copyright 1999
ISBN 0-465-0071-1
