Since 1958, the War Resisters League, the pacifist group founded in 1923, has awarded almost annually its War Resisters League Peace Award[1] to a person or organization whose work represents the League's commitment to radical nonviolent action.
| 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 |
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| 2015 | Mumia Abu-Jamal | ||
| 2016 | Jannat Al Ghezi | ||
| 2017 | Mariame Kaba
Grace Paley Lifetime Achievement Award: Rasmea Odeh |
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| 2018 | Corrina Gould and The Peace Poets
Grace Paley Lifetime Achievement Award: Mandy Carter (activist) |
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| 2019 | Highlander Research and Education Center |