2000 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner

Honoring Vernon Jordan, Judith L. Lichtman, Wilma Mankiller, Edward James Olmos, and John J. Sweeney

The 2000 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner was held on May 4, 2000, in Washington, D.C.

Vernon Jordan

A graduate of the Howard Univ. Law School, he was executive director of the United Negro College Fund and president of the National Urban League; retired to law practice in Washington, D.C, and was head of the transition team for incoming president Bill Clinton, for whom he became an influential adviser.

Judith L. Lichtman

President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, contributor to the Urban Coalition, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and was a legal advisor to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; her commitment, vision, and talent as an attorney and advocate have made a profound difference for women and families across the United States.

Wilma Mankiller

Former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma – as the leader of the Cherokee people she represented the second largest tribe in the United States, the largest being the Dine (Navajo) Tribe – she was the first female in modern history to lead a major Native American tribe and has become known not only for her community leadership but also for her spiritual presence.

Edward James Olmos

Known as the “Olivier of the Latino world,” Olmos promotes diversity through speeches, numerous humanitarian efforts, and his roles as the U.S. Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and executive director of the Lives In Hazard Educational Project, a national gang prevention program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, encourages audiences to embrace diversity, to become more involved in their communities, and to use tolerance and understanding as a means to solve social ills.

John J. Sweeney

As a top US Labor Organizer, Sweeney as president of the SEIU emphasized organizing new workers and nearly doubled the union’s membership, then led dissatisfied labor leaders who challenged AFL-CIO president Lane Kirkland. Sweeney defeated Thomas Donahue for the presidency of the AFL-CIO in the first contested such election in the organization’s history.