Coalition Awards Area Rep.

The Wilmette Life

11/27/03

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U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-9th, has been named the 2003 recipient of the Cunningham-Carey Award, presented annually by the Illinois Coalition to End the Death Penalty, for her work against capital punishment.

Schakowsky was honored at a gala benefit reception Sunday at the Winter Garden of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., Chicago.

Schakowsky is a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and a champion of expanding the nation's hate crime laws.

"The people of the state of Illinois are fortunate indeed to have Jan Schakowsky in Washington," said the Very Reverend Demetri Kantzavelos, president of the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty and Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.

"Rep. Schakowsky is a clear and steadfast voice for those who have none," Kantzavelos said. "In matters of great moral and social importance, she is a leader in the finest sense of the word."

The award reception will include a presentation program followed by a buffet dinner. Tickets cost $150 per person at the Sponsor level, $250 at the Patron level and $500 at the Benefactor level. The award was first presented in 2002 to former Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan, who was honored for his decision to spare the lives of Illinois' death row inmates.

The award is named for Richard Cunningham and Jack Carey, two attorneys whose opposition to the death penalty was crucial in drawing support throughout Illinois.