AMHERST — Organizers of the “Cambodians in Amherst: A History of the Khmer Community” exhibit in 2024 at the Strong House are earning the Amherst Historical Society’s annual Arthur F. Kinney Conch Shell award.

Members of the organizing committee will be recognized at the society’s annual meeting, which is open to the public, on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Woodbury Room at the Jones Library, 43 Amity St. Those being honored are Rebecca Fricke, Seiha Krouch, Sokhen Mao, Lauren Moeun, Mick O’Connor, Yanna Ok and Joan Snowden.

Gigi Barnhill, preident of the Historical Society board, praised the exhibit and associated programming that told the story of how survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide were provided refuge in Amherst after living in refugee camps in Southeast Asia.

“Not only was the exhibition itself full of powerful stories, they also worked to obtain and archive interviews with the elders in the community that will document in perpetuity the experiences of these refugees from a punishing political existence,” Barnhill said. “We are so grateful to them for their dedication to bringing these important stories to the wider Amherst community.”

The award is named after Kinney, a trustee who created the award, and honors individuals and organizations making valuable contribution to the preservation and appreciation of Amherst’s history.

The meeting and award presentation will be followed by the Mabel Loomis Todd Lecture featuring Samuel Redman, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts. Redman will be discussing his book “The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience,” which traces how cultural institutions responded to episodes of crisis over the past century in the United States.

Light refreshments will follow the lecture.

Black History Month

The Town Council recently issued a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month, calling on residents to participate in events throughout the month, and held a flag-raising at Town Hall on Feb. 1.

The proclamation recognizes the depictions of distinguished African Americans from Amherst on the History Mural at West Cemetery and the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Voluntary Cavalry, whose members were among those who delivered the news of freedom in Texas on June 19, 1865, which is the basis of the Juneteenth holiday.

But the proclamation also acknowledges that Massachusetts participated in the slave trade beginning in 1638, “but to its honor, in 1783, became the first state in the new nation to abolish slavery as ‘inconsistent with our own conduct and Constitution.’”

Support for library patrons

The Jones Library is maintaining its commitment to keeping the main library and the branches welcoming to all people, including those who are new to the United States, trustees President Austin Sarat said at the trustees’ January meeting.

Speaking days after the presidential inauguration, Sarat said trustees will be supportive of those who work every day in the library and are on the front line of possible challenges, such as possible requests to deny access to materials. Sarat said the library is committed to promoting diversity.

Library Director Sharon Sharry told trustees that morale of staff is good, even with uncertainty about the looming expansion and renovation project and the pending move to an interim site or sites. “Everybody is nervous about the building project,” Sharry said. “They want it to move forward, but they want to know.”

422 Amity St. development

Revised plans for the redevelopment of 422 Amity St., the longtime site of Rafters Restaurant and Sports Bar, depict a five-story building, with apartments with 224 beds and street-level commercial space.

The Planning Board will continue the hearing Feb. 19 at 6:35 p.m.

Social justice organizers recognized

The Peace Development Fund, based in Amherst, recently celebrated community and activism with the presentation of three Truth Awards at its inaugural Grassroots Gala, a fundraising event held at Fame in Holyoke in late January.

Named for Sojourner Truth, the 19th-century abolitionist and women’s rights leader, the awards went to Springfield No One Leaves, which earned the Truth Organization of the Year award for its efforts focused on housing justice; former Executive Director Paul Haible, who was presented the Truth Legacy Award; and Aramis Sundiata, who got the Organizer Award for his work in Ohio and across the country to end police-involved violence.

Now led by Executive Director Allistair Mallillin, The Peace Development Fund works to build the capacity of community-based organizations through grants, training and other resources as partners in human rights and social justice movements.