Trinity’s Dr. Jamal Watson Nominated for 2026 Museum of African American History Stone Book Award

Associate Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies and higher education journalist recognized for his book on the student debt crisis

Dr. Jamal Watson, Associate Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies, Professor, and Director of the Strategic Communication and Public Relations program at Trinity Washington University, has been nominated to receive the 2026 Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Award for his book, The Student Debt Crisis: America’s Moral Urgency. The MAAH Stone Book Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding nonfiction writing in the field of African American history and culture, awarding a $50,000 prize to the winner and $10,000 prizes to two finalists. The award aims to celebrate and encourage new scholarly and literary work, foster public engagement with that African American history, and honor the legacy of the abolitionist movement and interracial unity it embodied. Watson’s book is one of 158 books nationally to receive the national recognition.

Watson’s nomination continues a year of national recognition for his scholarship. Earlier this year, he was named for the second consecutive time to Education Week‘s Edu-Scholar rankings of the nation’s Top 200 Most Influential Scholars in Educational Policy and Practice, and he discussed the student debt book with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNOW, describing the nation’s $1.7 trillion in outstanding student debt as a civil rights issue affecting 45 million borrowers. Sharpton authored the book’s Foreword. Watson first laid out that argument publicly in an op-ed for Trinity Times, making the case that closing the student debt crisis is a moral and civil rights imperative requiring comprehensive reform.

Dr. Shaun Harper, author of Let’s Talk About DEI, and the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership at the University of Southern California, praised Watson’s book in a review.

“Few citizens know more about American higher education than Jamal Watson,” he wrote. “This book is perhaps the greatest demonstration of his undisputed expertise. The magnitude of this significant, consciousness-raising contribution to the literature on our nation’s student debt crisis cannot be overstated.”

In April, Watson was also honored with NADOHE’s 2026 Dr. Frank W. Hale, Jr., Distinguished Service Award for his leadership in advancing inclusive excellence in higher education.

His next book, From the Pulpit to Power: Black Preachers and the Making of American Democracy,  is currently under contract with Broadleaf Books. The book traces the history of Black preachers who also held political office, starting in the period after Reconstruction until the present day.  The book is scheduled to be released in February 2028, ahead of the presidential election.

“My scholarly work centers on making higher education accessible to marginalized communities,” Watson has said of his research. “We have to remain focused on the goal of ensuring that higher education remains accessible to all.”

Trinity Washington University remains committed to making education accessible to all, and Dr. Watson’s work — in the classroom and in his scholarship — reflects that mission every day.