Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 10, 1999
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke to receive prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award

OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke will travel to Washington, D.C. tomorrow (May 11) to receive the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights award, celebrating the legacy of the former vice president, senator and civil rights pioneer.

Each year, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) presents the Hubert H. Humphrey Award to those individuals who best exemplify Humphrey's legacy of selfless and devoted service in the cause of equality.

This year's honorees will be recognized both for specific efforts towards racial equality, and for long-term commitments toward promoting social justice. Locke will receive this award for his role last year in assembling a coalition that opposed a state initiative to cut back affirmative action programs.

Other recipients include: Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (artists), for more than 50 years of social activism on civil rights, world peace, and economic equity; and Jeannie VanVelkinburgh (a single mother in Denver, CO), for risking her own life to try to save a stranger from a hate crime.

As a testament to Hubert Humphrey's legacy and the significance of the tribute, more than 1,200 civil rights, corporate, political, labor and civil leaders attend the LCCR'S dinner each year to pay tribute to award recipients.

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