Since 1958, the War Resisters League, the pacifist group founded in 1923, has awarded almost annually its War Resisters League Peace Award to a person or organization whose work represents the League's commitment to radical nonviolent action.
Laureates Year Awardee Speaker at ceremony Notes 1958 Jeannette Rankin 1959 AJ Muste Martin Luther King Jr. 1960 Fenner Brockway and Bayard Rustin 1961 Tracy Mygatt and Frances M. Witherspoon Murray Kempton and Bayard Rustin 1962 Jim Peck Douglas Campbell and Bayard Rustin 1963 Dorothy Day Evan Thomas and AJ Muste 1964 James Bevel and Diane Nash A. Philip Randolph 1965 Bayard Rustin Milton Mayer 1966 Norman Thomas Mulford Sibley 1967 Barbara Deming Ralph DiGia 1968 The Resistance 1969 Ammon Hennacy Dinner was canceled 1970 People Resisting within the Military 1971 Majorie Swann Lanza del Vasto 1972 Ann Upshure Recognition only; not an official award 1973 No dinner 1974 Daniel Berrigan Allen Ginsberg 1975 Dave Dellinger 1976 Julius Eichel 1977 Marion Bromley and Ernest Bromley 1978 David Berkingoff and Prafulla Mukerj 1979 Igal Roodenko 1980 Grace Paley 1981 Ralph DiGia Recognition only; not an award 1982 Bent Andreson 1983 Virginia Eggleston, Thomas Grabell, and Ashley King 1984 Larry Gara 1985 Barbara Reynolds 1986 Plowshares Disarmament Community 1987 Dorie Bunting 1988 Don Luce, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), John McAuliff, David Truong, Bob Eaton, and Lady Borton 1989 Children of War 1990 Esther Pank and Riley Bostrom 1991 Gulf War Resisters 1992 War Tax Resisters, especially activists in Colrain, Massachusetts, An Act of Conscience 1993 WRL’s 70th Anniversary 1994 No dinner/award 1995 No dinner/award 1996 The Living Theatre 1997 Bob Moses 1998 Odetta, Charlie King, People's Voice Cafe, and Pete Seeger 1999 David McReynolds 2000 Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, Puerto Rico 2001 Kate Donnelly and Clay Colt 2002 Christian Peacemaker Teams 2003 September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows 2004 Fernando Suarez del Solar of Military Families Speak Out 2005 Karl Bissinger and Ralph DiGia 2006 Women Resisting War from within the Military: Diedra Cobb, Anita Cole, Kelly Dougherty and Katherine Jashinski Presented by Ann Wright 2007 Center for Constitutional Rights and Torture Abolition Survivors and Support Coalition International Posthumous lifetime achievement award: Grace Paley 2008 Kali Akuno and Shana Griffin representing grassroots groups working to rebuild New Orleans A concert with Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Stephanie McKay, Red Baraat Festival, and Jan Bell and the Cheap Dates 2009 Dennis Brutus, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), and Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) Grace Paley Lifetime Achievement Award: Bill Sutherland, Pan-Africanist and WWII Conscientious Objector 2010 Kathy Kelly 2011 Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers Award was declined. The group didn’t want to distract from the people in Afghanistan needing support and a voice. 2012 Asma Mohammed, Suez Port Worker and Labor Leader 2013 Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Daniel Ellsberg Ralph DiGia Award: Joanne Sheehan, New England WRL 2014 No Peace Award Ralph DiGia Award: Ruth Benn 2015 Mumia Abu-Jamal 2016 Jannat Al Ghezi 2017 Mariame Kaba Grace Paley Lifetime Achievement Award: Rasmea Odeh 2018 Corrina Gould and The Peace Poets Grace Paley Lifetime Achievement Award: Mandy Carter (activist) 2019 Highlander Research and Education Center
References
External links Past Annual Dinners & Peace Award Recipients secure.serve.com/resist