The Louisiana Native Guards: The Black Military Experience During the Civil War has been awarded a Certificate of Commendation from the American Association of State and Local History. The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state, provincial, and local history throughout North America. Seventy-five Certificates of Commendation were presented at the awards banquet on October 3, 1997, as part of the AASLH Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. The AASLH Awards Program is one of the nation's most prestigious competitions for recognition of achievement in local, state, and regional history.