The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner Senator Karen K. Gara Harry Patrick Leahy Narasaki LaMarche Belafonte The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Celebrating 60 Years of Promoting Equality Wednesday, May 12, 2010 The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award is presented to those who best exemplify “selfless and devoted service in the cause of equality.” Hubert Humphrey’s deep commitment and dedication to social justice are legendary. He devoted his life to public service in the cause of equality. Elected mayor of Minneapolis in 1945, he quickly ascended to the national political scene. Addressing racial discrimination and anti-Semitism in Minneapolis in 1948, he was responsible for the city enacting the nation’s first municipal fair employment legislation. That same year, amid fierce debate on the direction of civil rights, he delivered a fiery speech at the Democratic National Convention and spurred the Democratic Party to add a civil rights plank to their platform. From 1949-1964, he served from Minnesota as one of the nation’s most distinguished U.S. senators and was pivotal in the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, calling its passage “one of the landmarks of my life.” Elected vice president of the United States in 1964, Hubert Humphrey continued his selfless advocacy for equality in a free, plural and democratic society. In 1971, Humphrey resumed his senatorial career. In 1974, he introduced the ambitious Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and National Growth bill, the first attempt at full employment legislation, which eventually passed after his death in 1978. This final legislative achievement stood as a symbol of Humphrey’s undying commitment to “the humanitarian goals of the New Deal.” As a testament to his exemplary leadership on civil and human rights, the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award was established by The Leadership Conference in 1977. His words still echo in our continuing fight to advance equality, and the Humphrey Award is the civil and human rights community’s highest honor. The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award is presented to those who best exemplify “selfless and devoted service in the cause of equality.” 1 The Leadership Conference is proud to present the 2010 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Recipients Senator Karen K. Gara Harry Patrick Leahy Narasaki LaMarche Belafonte Honorary Chair Dr. Dorothy I. Height Chair, The Leadership Conference Chair and President Emerita, National Council of Negro Women Dinner Chairs Kathryn C. Brown Senior Vice President, Public Policy Development and Corporate Responsibility Verizon Richard L. Trumka President AFL-CIO Tonight’s Emcees Maria Echaveste Lecturer in Residence, Boalt Hall University of California-Berkeley Cofounder and Partner NVG, LLC Maureen Bunyan News Anchor WJLA-TV, ABC 7 2 Dorothy I. Height Dear Colleagues and Friends: It is with a heavy heart at what we have lost and a joyous spirit at what we were blessed to share for so many years that I mourn the passing of our chair, Dr. Dorothy I. Height. For the past seven decades, her work and her wisdom have enriched and ennobled the civil and human rights movement and our nation. Grand Dame of the Civil Rights Movement, Founding Mother, Queen of the Civil Rights Movement – all titles she deserved, but none big enough Dr. Dorothy I. Height to encapsulate the contributions she made to the movement. Dr. Height 1912-2010 was an extraordinary leader, a gifted organizer, a trusted adviser, and a shrewd strategist from the Great Depression of the 1930s to the 21st century America that she did so much to build. She came along at a time when women were not accepted as leaders in the civil rights movement. She was the woman who should have, but didn’t, speak at the 1963 March on Washington. She helped to set a place at the civil rights table for an expansion of the rights frame to include both gender and race in moving forward. A leading architect of the new America shaped by the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, her life’s story is intertwined with the most significant moments of the modern civil rights movement. I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Height for more than 20 years. Her moral compass, her political instincts, and, yes, her fashion sense were unique and indispensable. She was active in our work right up until it was just physically impossible for her to do so, most recently, serving as honorary co-chair of our campaign to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). We are united this evening at the largest gathering of the civil and human rights community – The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner. As we reflect on battles won and the work that lies ahead, Dr. Height’s legacy will serve as a beacon of justice, a staunch torch, guiding the civil and human rights community with a strong, clear, unwavering purpose. Sincerely, Wade Henderson President and CEO, The Leadership Conference 3 Welcome Welcome to The Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award This is Dinner. I am proud to again represent Verizon as a co-chair of this only a wonderful event. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Leadership Conference, screen we also celebrate and remember the life of Dr. Dorothy Height. We capture will miss her at this great event that she loved so much; we will miss her wisdom, grace, and courage. Dr. Height was a fearless leader who made our nation a better place. Kathryn C. Brown We are proud to partner with The Leadership Conference to keep her legacy alive, working together to improve the lives of all of our citizens. Congratulations to The Leadership Conference on the name change. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights formally honors the organization’s 60 years of excellence and dedication to civil and human rights. We are pleased to continue to collaborate with The Leadership Conference on projects that use our enabling technologies to serve the civil and human rights community. What better way to celebrate the new name than with four honorees that exemplify work in both areas. Senator Patrick Leahy, Karen Narasaki, Gara LaMarche, and Harry Belafonte have all been in the forefront of using human and civil rights to create societies that treat all persons with equal worth. Please join me in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Height as we honor four individuals who reflect her commitment to advancing civil rights and human rights. Kathryn C. Brown Co-Chair Senior Vice President, Public Policy Development and Corporate Responsibility Verizon 4 In 1961, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood before the AFL-CIO Convention and declared, “Our needs are identical with labor’s needs: decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.” He was absolutely right – and his message is truer today than ever. The needs of people of color and women and the needs of the union movement are one. Our moral principles are certainly the same. Richard L. Trumka That’s why we in the AFL-CIO are proud to be part of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. And that’s why it’s a personal pleasure for me to welcome you tonight. This year’s dinner is special for two reasons: First, we’re remembering the life of The Leadership Conference’s chair for many years, Dr. Dorothy Height. What a remarkable life she led! Few in our nation’s history have combined her passion for justice, her courage and her great personal dignity and integrity. Dr. Height not only taught us how to struggle, she taught us how to live. This evening is also special because we’re celebrating The Leadership Conference’s 60th Anniversary. Its beginnings were modest. At first, it was housed in a desk drawer and filing cabinet in New York. But as it has grown, this extraordinary coalition has helped pass just about every law that’s changed America for the better. As long as Americans dream of equality and fairness, The Leadership Conference will help make their dreams come true – and I promise that we in the AFL-CIO will always stand alongside you. Richard L.Trumka Co-Chair President AFL-CIO 5 The Honorees Senator Patrick Leahy has served in the U.S. Senate since 1974 and has a long record of advocacy for social and economic justice. On a wide range of issues, including education, criminal justice, jobs, workers’ rights, environmental justice, hate crimes, civil liberties and a fair and independent judiciary, Senator Leahy’s efforts have mirrored the values and mission that lie at the heart of The Leadership Conference. His efforts to create the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law have led to increased Congressional activity around the advancement and enforcement of our nation’s human rights commitments. Senator Patrick Leahy Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), is a principal advocate for the rights and interests of Asian Americans and a leading voice for equality and equal justice for all. As vice chair of The Leadership Conference and chair of the coalition’s Compliance and Enforcement Committee, she oversees The Leadership Conference task forces and has played a leading role in national and international discussions regarding the convergence of civil and human rights issues.