LCCR Bestows Civil Rights Honor on Diverse Advocates: Connie Morella
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 4/23/2004
This article is the second in a series about 2004's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award honorees. The next installment will feature AFSCME President Gerald McIntee.As part of its annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 17, 2004, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights will be honoring Connie Morella for her committed legislative alliance to the civil rights community.
Morella, who currently serves as permanent representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, spent 16 years representing Maryland's 8th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Humphrey Award, established 27 years ago, honors the legacy of former United States vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer Hubert H. Humphrey, whose years of public service, leadership, and dedication to equal opportunity changed the face of America.
Morella was raised in the blue-collar town of Somerville, Mass. Prior to becoming a member of Congress, she served in the Maryland House of Delegates for eight years. From 1970 to 1985, Morella was a professor of English at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. She and her husband, Tony, have three grown children.
During her 16 years in the House of Representatives, Morella championed for crucial civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Restoration Act, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Acts of 1990 and 1991, the Violence Against Women Act, the Minimum Wage increase in 1996, affirmative action, and the Religious Liberty Protection Act. Her commitment to enforcing equality has garnered support from a broad range of nonpartisan organizations such as the League of Conservancy Voters and LCCR.
Morella has described her political philosophy as, "opportunity, civil rights, individual liberties.... I believe we've got to give opportunities to people to help themselves."
The Hubert H. Humphrey Award is considered the civil rights community's highest honor. The 180 national organizations that make up LCCR represent people of color, women, children, older Americans, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, labor unions, major religious groups, and civil liberties and human rights groups.
