Wilson Center Presents Trotter Award to Congresswoman Barbara Lee

WASHINGTON–Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) is this year’s recipient of the William Monroe Trotter Leadership Award from the Wilson Center in Washington, DC. The award celebrates the political courage and leadership of William Monroe Trotter, a pioneer activist for the civil rights of African Americans.

“Congresswoman Lee has been a steadfast advocate for social justice, equality, and human rights for people around the world,” said Wilson Center President and CEO Ambassador (ret.) Mark A. Green. “From her long-time leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa to her tireless advocacy of stronger ties between the US and Caribbean nations, she has made a remarkable difference in American foreign policy. She represents everything that the Trotter Award stands for.”

“I am deeply honored to be the recipient of an award named after William Monroe Trotter. Monroe Trotter was many things. A scholar. A journalist. An activist. But above all else, Monroe Trotter was known as a fighter. A descendent of those enslaved at Monticello, he spent his life fighting the systems of power that kept Black people oppressed, and he never, never backed down from advocating for the principle of basic equality and human dignity, here at home or around the world," said Congresswoman Lee. "It is never too soon and never too late to do what is right. It is not too late to ensure our foreign policy and the public servants who execute it are part of a legacy worthy of Monroe Trotter and all the civil rights fighters who devoted themselves to a more just future for our nation. I am grateful for the work that the Wilson Center continues to do to support human rights everywhere and I’m deeply honored to receive this award."

Read Rep. Barbara Lee's full remarks here. 

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has represented California’s 12th District (formerly 13th) since 1998. She is the highest ranking African American woman appointed to Democratic leadership, serving as co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee. She also serves on the Budget and Appropriations Committees.

The William Monroe Trotter Leadership Award was established by the Wilson Center to recognize the critical role that African Americans have played in the formulation, implementation, and analysis of United States foreign policy and national security. It is named after William Monroe Trotter (1872 – 1934), a graduate of Harvard University, civil rights leader, editor of the Boston-based Guardian newspaper, and co-founder of the Niagara Movement (a precursor to the NAACP). In 1914 Trotter famously confronted President Woodrow Wilson over his administration’s policies that expanded segregation of the federal civil service. Until his death in 1934, Trotter also campaigned against the film Birth of a Nation, fought for the equal treatment of African American soldiers, presented demands for civil rights in France after World War I, and fought for federal anti-lynching legislation.