In announcing the honor, Writers for Democratic Action highlighted the extraordinary impact of Richardson’s daily public scholarship, drawing particular attention to her widely read nightly publication. For the last seven years, Professor Richardson has published her nightly newsletter, Letters From An American, which offers an acute historian’s reading of present-day events viewed through the clarifying lens of the nation’s past. Fully sourced and always meticulous in crediting other writers and journalists, her work gives fresh and compelling meaning to the old journalistic adage that journalism is the rough draft of history—though, as admirers frequently note, in her case, the work arrives without the roughness, as style and wit remain enduring hallmarks of the Letters From An American publication.
The Gitlin-Auster Defender of Democracy Award was specifically designed to underscore the vital public responsibility that writers carry, particularly during times of unprecedented political and social crisis. Furthermore, the accolade serves to celebrate the profound power of words not only to record history as it unfolds in real time, but also to change its trajectory by fostering a deeply informed citizenry. In bestowing the inaugural honor, the organization emphasized that in a dangerous and uncertain time, Heather Cox Richardson has upheld those essential democratic values magnificently, making it a distinct and proud honor for WDA to recognize her contributions.
