Nicole Hockley made us remember, David Gergen made us think – and laugh – and Edie Windsor inspired us at The Common Good American Spirit Awards. All of us at The Common Good want to thank all our Sponsors, guests, friends and supporters who helped make this night a huge success! With your help, we look forward to a bright future.
Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, was honored with the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism for her outspoken support of common sense gun control and legislative success in Connecticut. In her introduction, former first lady of New York, Michelle Paige Paterson, noted that she and the members of Sandy Hook Promise want the tragedy they endured “to be remembered as the place where real change began.”
David Gergen, an adviser to four presidents and political analyst, took the stage after a warm introduction from Richard Wolffe, the executive editor of MSNBC.com and a fellow politico. Gergen talked about his hope for the future of American politics because of a rising generation of young leaders who are dedicated to service, but he also got the biggest laughs of the night by regaling the audience with anecdotes from his many years in Washington.
Jonathan Capehart of The Washington Post introduced marriage equality activist Edie Windsor, who closed the show with a celebratory message of perseverance, strength and love. Windsor, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, talked about the significance of her court victory. Even with a partner she had lived with for most of her life, marriage mattered, Windsor said. And it matters for millions more.
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All of us at The Common Good want to thank all our sponsors, guests, friends and supporters who helped make this night a huge success! With your help, we look forward to a bright future.
