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Integrity in Politics Award |
Contact Information: integrity.award__at__gmail.com
Mayor Ronald V. Dellums to receive Prestigious Wayne Morse Integrity in Politics Award
The Honorable Ronald V. Dellums, a 27-year California Congressman and current Mayor of Oakland, California will receive the Wayne Morse Integrity in Politics Award at a date in the near future.
“Dellums was chosen from among candidates nationwide for attributes long identified with Morse, Oregon’s distinguished senator from 1944-1968,” according to Jayne Mickles, president of the Wayne Morse Historical Park Corporation (WMHPC), the award’s sponsor. Those qualities include an extraordinary level of integrity and independence, a commitment to justice and a willingness to take a principled stand even at great political cost.
Mickles stated Dellums’ selection was based on his outspoken and articulate opposition to the Vietnam War, his efforts on behalf of civil rights, his anti-apartheid South Africa stance and his bold challenge to the military industrial complex in reforming military policy, as chairman of the house armed services committee.
He took a principled stand on all of the major issues concerning the role of the United States in the world over his 27-year congressional career. Dellums is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and was a leader on the environment, labor, consumer rights, and civil rights. Overall, he exemplifies, and helps define, the criteria of
"justice," "independence," and "courage" that guide the Morse Integrity Award, Mickles said.
Before election to the House in 1970, Dellums worked as a psychiatric social worker, directed various programs in Bayview/Hunters Point of San Francisco, and directed employment and manpower programs in the Bay area. He was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 1967.
The WMHPC promotes awareness of Senator Morse’s legacy in association with the Wayne Morse Center of Law and Politics at the University of Oregon. The Corporation was originally established to preserve the late Senator's home and farm in Eugene, Oregon. The 26-acre estate is now managed by the city of Eugene as a park and the WMHPC manages the park's cultural and educational resources. Focusing on the farm as a National Historic Site, it organizes events and exhibits and develops educational opportunities for students, visitors and others interested in history and politics.
Some of the former recipients of the award include California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird (1987), Senators Lowell Weicker of Connecticut (1988), Paul Simon of Illinois (1991), William Proxmire of Wisconsin (1995); Henry Gonzalez of Texas (1993), Representatives Jim Leach of Iowa (1997), and Barbara Lee of California (2002).
“The hope of the WMHPC is that bringing attention to Senator Morse’s reputation for integrity by recognizing principled politicians of today will foster that same kind of public service among other elected officials,” said Jayne Mickles, president of the Corporation Board.
Three distinguished former holders of the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics at the University of Oregon made the final selection for the award. They are Harvard law professor, Charles Ogletree; City University of New York anthropology professor, Neil Smith; and University of California history professor, Dana Frank.
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