Jacob Friefeld, director of the Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield, has won a Nebraska Book Award in the nonfiction history category for “The First Migrants,” a book he co-authored with Richard Edwards. Published by Bison Books, the book examines the migration of Black homesteaders to the Great Plains from 1877 to 1920.

“The First Migrants” recounts the experiences of Black homesteaders who moved to the Great Plains states, using the Homestead Act to acquire land and establish communities such as Nicodemus, Kansas, and DeWitty, Nebraska. The authors use homestead records, diaries, letters and interviews with descendants to explore the challenges and achievements of these settlers who sought new lives despite facing racial discrimination.

Friefeld will be recognized at the Nebraska Celebration of Books on Oct.12, 2024, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s City Campus Union. The event will feature an author roundtable and an awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m., where Friefeld and other winners will be honored for their contributions to literature with ties to Nebraska.

“It’s an honor to receive this award and gratifying that the book has been so well received," Friefeld said. "The book could not have existed without the generosity of descendants of Black homesteaders who spent hours talking with me about their families’ experiences.”

The Nebraska Book Awards, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, recognize excellence in books by Nebraska authors, editors and illustrators. The awards aim to promote interest in books, reading and the written word.

For more information about the Nebraska Celebration of Books and the Nebraska Book Awards, visit the Nebraska Center for the Book's website.

The book was a finalist for the 2024 Spur Award, which recognizes the best Western literature. It also received an honorable mention for the Jon Gjerde Prize, awarded for the best book in Midwestern history.