The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has been recognizing cannabis legalization advocates from around the country since 1998, as part of their National Conference and Lobby Day in Washington DC.
The Michael J Kennedy Social Justice Award, now in its third year, is part of that tradition.
Named after legendary civil rights and criminal defense attorney Michael Kennedy, who served as general counsel to High Times from its founding in 1974 until his death in early 2016, the award was established by NORML with the blessing of Kennedy’s wife, Eleanora, and their daughter Anna.
For those who may not have known Kennedy, chairman of High Times for many years, his daughter Anna introduced him with a short film about his, High Times’, and NORML’s enduring struggle to legalize cannabis.
In her welcome speech, Eleanora Kennedy told the packed conference hall that her husband had been devoted to NORML and its mission for decades.
“We want to honor those individuals who, like Michael, are working for the legalization of cannabis and advancing the cause of social justice in America,” Kennedy said.
Hence, this year’s choice for the Michael J. Kennedy Social Justice Award was perfectly appropriate: Bernardine Dohrn, activist, academic, children’s and women’s rights advocate, and former professor at Northwestern University School of Law.
As a national leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weather Underground, Dohrn landed on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List from 1970 to 1973 for her general “radical activities.”
Enter Michael Kennedy
Dohrn, who met the Kennedys during the turbulent 1960s, told the NORML audience that Michael